


Experimental

by maely1234



Series: The Experimentals [2]
Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Memory Loss, also torture/experimentation, at least in my heart it will, blood and injuries mentioned, honestly though they're ship name will always be junkie, it will get better eventually, jankie starts in chapter 10 though, lots of agnst, lots of comforting and nighmares, nothing too graphic, now including suicidal thoughts, the moon/toffee is in the past, warning for agnst, wow these tags get progressively worse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2018-11-17 13:36:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11276367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maely1234/pseuds/maely1234
Summary: Toffee took both Star and Marco in Storm the Castle. After months of imprisonment and experimentation, they have escaped, but not without scars. Each have a half of the wand infused in their chests, along with the strange ability to turn into beasts, but both are left with little memories besides for their names. Not accepted by human or monster, they must fight for their survival while trying to regain the fragments of the lives they were torn away from.





	1. Today We Are Free

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read the prologue to this, I would heavily recommend that you do because it gives context and depth to most of what I wrote here. And will definitely be important as the story progresses. As of now, i'm expecting the story to be around 12-15 chapters, but its not set in stone. Enjoy!

All he could see was blackness. It engulfed him, surrounded him, choked him-

He was drowning, and all he could do was gasp for air.

"It looks like you are stronger than I thought, earthling child. Good. It will make this much easier."

He knew that voice. It was the Lizard. The one with the toothy smirk and thin eyes. The one who kept coming back and back and back and back.

He snarled, but there was nothing there. His hands- no wait- paws- wait- they were hands again, whatever they were, they trembled. Terror raced through him. The darkness was still the only thing that met his wide eyes.

Agony. It was spreading, blossoming from where his stone was nested in his chest.

Bars shot up, trapping him, caging him. He roared, snarled, raged, screamed. Maybe he did all those things at once. A storm of panic and horror surged through his burning veins, consuming him.

He awoke to the sound of his cries, his throat raw and sore. Something warm pressed against him, and he shoved it away. Leaping back, his paws met the stony ground as he let out a deep growl, his stone lighting up in warning as he frantically searched for the inevitable attack.

 _"_ _Marco? Are you okay?"_ The anxious whine made him pause, his stone dimming as his mind slowly recognized the voice.

 _"_ _Star?"_ He whimpered, and the light in his stone faded completely. His senses began to come back to him, and he recognized the familiar lines of the cave they had been staying in. His breaths slowed, relaxing to a more even rhythm. Flopping to the ground, he laid his head in his paws, tail curling around his body as he rumbled in shame.

Star padded her way over to him, her paws moving carefully so she didn't make any unexpected noises. Her own tail, thinner with long, silky strands of fur, reached out to tentatively stroke Marco's back.

Marco bristled as he felt something touch his back. On instinct, he snapped at the presumed attacker with another growl. His jaws only hit air; Star's tail was already well behind her, as if she had been expecting him to lash out.

"I'm sorry." Marco whispered, his now human hands wrapping around his knees. He pressed himself against the cave wall, shrinking away from Star's compassionate gaze.

 _"_ _It's okay."_ Star reassured him, but when Marco didn't agree immediately, she too shrunk back down into her human form and sat beside him, shoulder to shoulder.

Instead of fighting against the contact, Marco felt his tenseness fading. He nestled his head in the crook between Star's shoulder and her neck, relishing the warm familiarity it brought him.

Star combed her fingers through his hair in silent understanding, humming wordless tunes into the still morning air. Neither of them remembered where the songs came from, but both of them knew the songs by heart. Both had come to the agreement that the songs were sacred in a way, a shred of their past before the Lizard, a glimpse of a time when their lives were happier, or so they hoped.

Once Marco seemed sufficiently relaxed, Star stood, slipping back into her bestial form.

 _"_ _Do you want to hunt?"_ Star asked excitedly, shaking off her tiredness. Briskly, she trotted over to the mouth of the cave, her tail swishing back and forth in an encouraging manner.

Marco didn't follow though, choosing to slink towards the back of the cave, his newly transformed tail hanging low.

 _"_ _Just go without me."_ Marco growled softly, sitting down with his shoulders hunched as he stared at the rock beneath his paws.

 _"_ _No."_ Star shook her head, the mane of blond hair running down her back moving with the motion. Stomping back over to him, she shoved her head against his side and pushed gently. _"I don't want to go alone."_

Marco stood up at that, hesitantly walking towards the exit. _"I hate this."_ He admitted, his lips curling up in a soundless snarl for a moment, then drooping down as he let out a beast's equivalent of a sigh.

 _"_ _I know."_ Star stood beside him, rubbing their cheeks together in comfort.

 _"_ _Will it ever end?"_ He asked her. _"Do you think we'll ever know? Who we were before the Lizard."_

 _"_ _I think so."_ Star responded with a wag of her tail. _"We just need some more time."_

Marco stared at the ground for a moment longer before giving his fur a shake and strolling to the entrance. _"Ready?"_

 _"_ _I don't know why you asked."_ Star curled her lips up in a half smile, the edges of her sharp teeth glinting in the morning light. _"You know I'm always hungry."_

Marco returned her lopsided grin with one of his own before bounding over the cave's edge and into the forest below. Star, determined not to be left behind, leapt after him, and with a bright flash from her stone, soared above him with wings of light. It was one of her favorite tricks, along with one of her most impressive ones.

Star landed in a sprint besides Marco, giving him a playful growl before splitting away to search for her food. The last time they hunted together had resulted in them scaring everything away for miles with their games.

It didn't take long for Star to find prey. The unsuspecting rabbit had never seen her coming. Licking the blood from her lips, Star devoured the rabbit in hungry gulps, satiating her rumbling stomach for the time being. She would need more to last her though, especially since today was traveling day.

They never stayed in one place for long, both of them grew uncomfortable if they didn't shift around. Besides, something always ended chasing them out anyways, whether it be other humans or a lack of food. Star didn't mind, as long as she and Marco weren't separated. She liked to say that moving around would give them more clues about their lives before the Lizard. Although if you asked her, they should go into the towns they avoided. Something about the townspeople called to her, even after Marco insisted it was far too dangerous.

And she did get it, somewhat. She knew that they couldn't trust the other humans who were like them, yet not like them at all. Apparently, those humans found it strange that she and Marco had stones growing out of their chest and could be human in one breath and beasts in the next. They had already dealt with furious crowds of weapon wielding humans, they didn't need to draw any more attention.

With a start, she realized she had ran all the way to the edge of the forest. Lost in her head, her paws had led her to the place she knew she couldn't go. Panting, she sat down and stared at the town just outside her reach. She could go, while Marco wasn't there. She could be back before midday, and she would have gotten the taste of the human's life she craved.

One paw after the other, she edged closer to the forest's end. She was so close. Surely a quick peek wouldn't hurt? She dared to stick her nose into the clearing separating her from the village. Just a quick look around. Just for a little while. She was a moment away from going back into her human form, when her mind, completely unbidden, flashed to the image of Marco looking for her, panicking because he couldn't find her. What if he hurt himself? What if she couldn't come back?

She drew back, slipping once again into the cool shade of the trees. Weaving her way through them with ease, she shook her mind of all thoughts involving the human village. She couldn't do that to Marco; wouldn't do that to Marco.

At her core, she knew she couldn't deny the calling forever, the pull in her heart that said to mingle, to interact, to be one of the humans. And it had only gotten stronger after the one human had shown up. The one with the butterfly wings who had known her name. She still didn't know why she had lowered her guard to the human. Never show their human side to other humans who had seen their beast forms, that was the rule they both followed, at least normally. She just couldn't help herself, the human had looked so sad, and so alone, and so familiar. It broke her heart, even in the face of what the human had done to Marco.

A feral growl pulled her out of her thoughts this time, and she skidded to a stop, scanning the dense forest around her.

 _"_ _Marco?"_ She growled back, even knowing that whatever it was, it certainly wasn't Marco.

A furious roar answered her, and a blue swarmed her vision as her attacker dropped from the sky. Claws raked across her face. With a cry of pain, she shook her head, throwing the creature to the ground.

Her stone lit up, responding to her wish to heal her injuries while the creature found its footing.

But once Star got a good look at it, all she saw was red.

It sat on four legs, thinly webbed wings sitting on its back. Its scales were light blue, looking nothing like the Lizard. But it didn't matter, because its eyes were exactly like the Lizard's. Thin pupils, without a shred of remorse as they stared back at her. The irises were green, the same shade that was forever imprinted into her memories.

Her stone shone, fueled by her rage. All she wanted was to destroy, to obliterate, to annihilate the being in front of her. Every one of its claws was a mirror image of his claws. Every tooth a replica of his when they showed through his smug grins. Every breath it took a reminder that her and Marco's captor and torturer still existed somewhere, waiting for his chance to get them under his control.

She didn't care what she did to kill it, she just wanted it gone. The light surrounding her stone swirled, an eerie green mixed with tiny flecks of pink as it shot towards the creature.

The creature may have tried to dodge the blast, but there was no escaping Star's wrath. The beam of light hit the surrounding trees, condensing before it exploded with even more force.

Star didn't bother to see what little remained of her adversary, running away from the scene. Snarls were ripped from her throat against her will. In her rage induced haze, she realized that she wasn't near Marco. That he could be attacked, or hurt, or captured. The thought only served to make her fury even greater. Nothing would harm them again, not while she could still draw a breath.

With a howl, she raced forwards faster than ever, searching for Marco. She could feel him, his familiar presence a faint echo beneath where her stone sat. Her stone was guiding her to him, and she trusted it without suspicion or doubt. A streak of light and rage, nothing would stop her from finding her other half.

Marco sighed contentedly, his stomach warm and full. Stopping to simply soak in a patch of sunlight, he even slipped back into his human form as he laid down on the forest floor. Staring up at the foliage above him, he absentmindedly fingered the edges of his stone. It sat in the middle of his chest, most of it hidden underneath the red hoodie that constantly adorned his human figure. It was a star, or at least it had to have been at one point, although it was broken in half now, with jagged edges that lay half buried in skin.

That reminded him, he should probably see where Star had ended up. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind in an effort to feel for her presence. Star could do it at the blink of an eye, but he had to actually concentrate to get his stone to work. A fact that continuously frustrated him and intrigued him. What was so different about him and Star that made her better at using her stone than him?

He didn't have time to ponder any questions though, because he could feel Star, and she was headed towards him at an alarming speed.

Jumping to his feet, Marco shoved his back against the nearest tree. He knew Star would never intentionally hurt him, but each of them had wounded the other before accidentally, when their fears clouded their mind. He was in a better place with his back protected than simply standing in the forest.

He was soon glad of his decision, as Star raced over where he had been sitting without a second thought. Her blue eyes were crazed, and foam flecked the sides of her mouth as she heaved for air. She sniffed the air, then turned her muzzle to him.

Marco stayed perfectly still as she took a step towards him, he thought about shifting, but quickly decided against it. He knew that any sudden movements would be considered an attack. So instead, he slowly offered his hands out for Star to smell.

Star's gaze flicked to his hands, then immediately went back to his face as she walked towards him, giving him a low whine.

"It's okay Star. I'm here, we're fine." Marco soothed her gently, the words feeling slightly foreign on his human tongue. "Nothing can hurt us now. It's just us."

He could feel her breath as she huffed into his hands, her nose mere inches away from his fingertips.

Hesitantly, he scooted his hands closer. When she didn't react, he rested them on her lower jaw, smiling as her fur began to come back down from where it had been bristling.

 _"_ _Safe? Hurt? Injured? Captured?"_ The stream of panted questions met his touch, Star's wide eyes staring into his own hazel orbs.

"Shh Star. Nothing's wrong. Nothing happened." Marco rubbed soothing circles in the fur on Star's cheeks.

 _"_ _I saw- lizard- his eyes."_ Star gave a weak growl, her lips curling up in a snarl. _"I have to destroy- kill- protect-"_

"He's not here Star. Remember? We escaped; we're free." Marco gave a breathless chuckle at that, pulling Star's head down so that their foreheads could touch. "We're free Star, and we'll make sure it stays that way."

Star gave out a sigh, shrinking down into her human form to give Marco a watery smile.

Wrapping his arms around her, Marco only pulled her closer as her tears dripped down into his hoodie.

Once her tremors subsided, Marco leaned away, keeping one hand over Star's hand as he smiled softly.

Her green dress had holes and singe marks everywhere, and her hair was wild and unkempt; Marco knew he looked almost twice as bad, but he also knew that he could care less about her appearance.

Shifting quickly, Marco laid down and offered his back to her. _"Do you want a ride back?"_

"But," Star sniffled. "we have to move today."

_"_ _We can wait one more day to move. We've both been through a lot today. Why don't we just relax?"_

"Well when you say it like thatâ€¦" Star gave him a grin, giggling slightly. "I guess I have to go."

 _"_ _That was the point."_ Marco rumbled as Star nestled herself in the thick fur of his back. Checking one last time to make sure she was comfortable, he bounded off towards their cave, his nose leading him back to the shelter they had called home for the past few days, and the place they would abandon come tomorrow.


	2. Where We Were Meant To Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star and Marco come across a shelter after a day of traveling. The question of whether or not the should use it remains though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention last chapter that I plan on updating this every 3-5 days.

_"Please Marco."_ Star stared at him with eager eyes, her tail waving almost too fast for him to see. _"This is the perfect solution!"_

 _"It's too risky. They'll end up finding us and chasing us out."_ Marco huffed, shaking his snout.

_"But it's a big place, they even have a smaller house we can hide in easy. Besides, it isn't anywhere near any other humans."_

Marco glanced at the place in question. It was bigger than most places they had seen, sitting in the middle of a large clearing, which meant more space to maneuver if anything went wrong. It wasn't near any other houses too, that was good. And they did need somewhere decent to sleep for the night, especially after a day full of nothing but travelling.

_"We could just make a shelter using our stones."_

Star drooped, the excitement in her eyes dimming. _"But…we could see what their place looks like. It could help us with our memories!"_ She was nose to nose with him now, her eyes pleading with him. _"All I want to do is be around them for one night. Just a night. It's not even a town, Marco. We could get out of there before the humans could even raise a hand."_

 _"Look…"_ He shouldn't agree to this. There were much safer options. He knew that humans weren't safe to be around, Star should know that. But the clear desperation in Star's eyes was wearing down his past grudges, as it always did. It would only be for a night, they would be gone first thing in the morning.

 _"Maybe."_ He growled, trying his best not grin at Star's excited little hops and yips at even the slightest chance of them staying inside the smaller house for the night. _"But first, we watch, make sure that no one plans on going into the smaller house."_

Star didn't reply, her eyes glued to the house below. Her tail still wagged back and forth, albeit slower than it had been.

Marco crouched next to her, making himself comfortable. They would be watching the house until at least nightfall, and the sun hadn't even touched the horizon yet.

Surprising his expectations, no one entered the smaller house. Sure, a couple of humans came out of the bigger house, followed by three smaller humans, but all the smaller humans did was roll around in the grass while the larger humans sat and watched them. The sight filled Marco with a wistfulness that he couldn't quite place.

From the quiet sigh that Star gave, he guessed that she felt the same.

He shook his head trying to forget the feeling, but it persisted. Faintly, he recognized that what he was seeing was called a family. Family. The word sounded sweet in his head. Didn't he have one of those once? He thought he did, but he couldn't be sure. It was only a trace of a memory, something vague and impressionistic.

 _"Do you think we had one of those? A- a family?"_ Marco didn't look at Star as he asked, resolutely staring at the skyline, where only a tip of the setting sun could be seen.

 _"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we did."_ He felt Star move beside him, turning towards him.

_"What do you think yours was like?"_

_"I don't know. I think it be cool if they like to do crazy things."_ Star laid her head besides his, her breath tickling the sides of his jaw as it rushed out her nose.

_"Like what?"_

_"I don't know. Maybe just run around until we're too tired to run anymore. Try new things."_ Star snorted. _"I don't even know what families do. Why'd you ask me?"_

_"Because I wanted to know."_

_"Well then, what do you think yours was like?"_

_"Really?"_ It was Marco's turn to snort now. _"I guess, I think they were nice, or maybe, I think families should be nice to each other."_

_"Well duh, isn't that what a family is?"_

_"Yeah, but I just feel like there might be families who aren't nice to each other."_ Macro gave a silent snarl at the thought. For some reason, the idea itself made him angry, even if he couldn't remember why.

Star actually snarled, the noise startling him enough for him to raise his head and look down at her.

 _"Sorry."_ Star lifted her own head to meet his, her upturned lips relaxing. _"That just sounds wrong. It made me mad."_

 _"Did you remember anything?"_ Marco asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

 _"No."_ Star put her head back down, looking down at the house. _"I just got really upset. I think I might have known a family that was like that. Not nice to each other."_

 _"I'm sorry."_ Marco put his head down next to Star's, laying his tail across her back. _"If anything, we're family, in a way."_

 _"You think so?"_ Star draped her tail across his back, returning the gesture.

Marco rubbed his cheek against hers. _"I know so."_

* * *

Marco swatted his tail against Star's muzzle, grabbing her attention as he shifted, waving his hand in signal for her to do the same. She did, but only after a weak grumble of protest. He knew that she would much rather explore the place with enhanced senses, but they had to be sneaky, something that their beast forms were not.

Marco stopped to quickly reach back and grab onto Star's hand, ensuring that she wouldn't go barging into the larger house while he wasn't watching.

He reached the smaller house, Star in tow, and grimaced. The smaller house wasn't nearly as nice as he had hoped, the wood it was built out of was worn, littered with holes. The roof looked like it might actually be sagging inwards.

Getting inside was looking to be an issue though. The smaller house was sealed by a- a- a- door! That's what it was. There was a knob, on the door, and Marco peered at it for a few seconds; Star also popped her head over his shoulder to see what he was looking at, giving it a confused frown.

Marco knew this, at least he hoped he did. Wrapping his fingers around the knob on the door, he pulled. When nothing happened, he pushed. When the door still refused to budge, he turned before pushing, and smiled as the door swung open.

His smile quickly vanished as he viewed the interior of the small house. It was littered with unknown objects, some of which his mind put a name to, and others were left in ignorance. He did not like the continued theme of sharp, pointy ends on the objects though.

Star had no such issues, much to Marco's amusement and fear. She immediately bounded into the, small, confined and cluttered space, practically cooing at every new sight.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Marco asked, keeping his voice at a low whisper.

"Are you kidding me!?" Star smacked her hands over her mouth as she realized she was yelling. She continued, in a much softer tone, with a sheepish smile on her face. "Of course I do. This is exciting."

Marco gave a soft sigh, letting the door close behind him as he walked inside.

The door shut with a loud snap, making Marco jump. The ensuing darkness made Marco pause, listening to make sure Star was still there until his eyes adjusted to the lighting. Once he could see again, he began to move the various things around to make room for him and Star to sleep.

He turned to Star when he thought he had a suitable area cleared out, asking, "So, how do we sleep anyways?"

Star paused, turning to him, "I have no idea."

Marco sat on the cold floor, Star sitting down besides him. He lifted up his arm, showing it to Star. "Maybe we're supposed to lay on our arms."

"Really? That seems kind of annoying." Star laid herself out on her back, staring at the low ceiling in confusion. "Maybe this is how we should sleep? It's sort of comfortable."

"Eh." Marco put his head on Star's stomach. "Maybe they lay on each other."

"But I can't lay on you from here." Star said, and Marco sat up once more before turning onto his stomach. Putting an arm down in front of him, he laid his head down on it.

"Maybe like this?"

"Maybe." Star copied Marco's position. "It works."

"Are you sure about this? We could always leave and just make a shelter for the night. We would be more comfortable." Marco offered.

"Of course I'm sure!" Star sounded indignant at first then her voice softened. "We should try and get closer to humans. I mean, we are human at least in part. So some of our memories our probably of us being human. It'll help us remember."

"We're still going as soon as we wake up. If anyone sees us we need to leave." Marco warned. "I know we're human, but we can't trust the other humans. You know what they're like."

"Couldn't we try and explain it to them? They might understand."

"We tried that, remember? It ended with them trying to burn you."

"They were scared."

"That's not an excuse! What have they gone through that we haven't?"

"That's not the point."

"Then what is the point!?"

"I don't think there is a point." Marco strained to hear Star's faint whisper. "Its all so blurry."

Marco inched closer, putting his free hand on top of Star's head. "I'm sorry."

Star turned her head towards him, her eyes shining. "Don't be. Neither of us know what to do."

"I know what we need to do now."

"What?"

"Sleep." Marco smiled at Star's giggle, ruffling her hair before drawing his hand back.

Closing his eyes, Marco tried his best to fall asleep. His skin was itchy though, unused to sleeping without contact.

Something warm draped itself across his back, and Marco leaned into the touch.

"Sorry." Star mumbled, a few locks of her hair settling into Marco's scruffy frizz. "It was weird trying to sleep like that."

Marco only smiled as his eyes slid shut again.

* * *

Marco woke to light shining in his eyes. Blinking, he groaned as he blearily tried to decipher where the light was coming from. Any grogginess was replaced with horror as he found why the light had suddenly appeared.

There was a human standing besides the door, staring at the two of them.

Marco leapt to his feet, steadying Star as she was almost sent sprawling to the floor. His stone gave a soft glow in warning.

He froze as he got a better look at the human. It was only a child. A child who barely reached his chest.

"Hello?" It- no, he asked, eyes wide with innocent curiosity.

"Gregory? Come back." A much deeper voice shouted, and that was all it took to convince Marco that they needed to leave. Now.

Latching onto Star's wrist, he pulled her out with him, shoving past the child into the clearing. He shifted as soon as he was out, delicately grabbing Star in his jaws. He'd apologize for it later, all he could think about was escaping.

He bolted towards the forest, the morning sun nearly blinding him. He raced past the angry and terrified cries of the other humans, before they could even think to attack them, he was gone, slipping through trees.

He stopped as Star shifted, falling out of his jaws and onto the forest floor.

 _"Wait for me next time!"_ Star growled as Marco sat down, his head bent apologetically.

 _"I panicked."_ He admitted, his tail curling around his paws.

Star backed down at that, giving a quiet huff of understanding. _"Its just- we could have tried to talk to them."_

 _"I know you want to, but we can't- I mean, you probably could- but I can't. I can't trust them. I really am sorry bu-"_ Marco's paws wouldn't stop moving, rising up and down as his voice fluctuated.

 _"Marco."_ Star stopped him, pressing her nose against his. _"I want to talk to people. But I want you to want to talk to them even more. I can wait as long as it takes."_

 _"What if that never happens?"_ Marco couldn't help but ask.

 _"It'll happen."_ Star entwined her tail with his. _"Until then, I'll just keep waiting."_

 _"Thank you."_ Marco breathed. Watching as Star pulled away, he followed her as she strolled further into the forest. Marco spared one last glance back, his eyes taking in the forest that separated them from the now distant house.


	3. Searching For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star and Marco are spending a peaceful afternoon resting until a certain blue somebody interrupts.

Star rolled onto her side, tongue lolling lazily as she soaked in the sunlight. She and Marco had stumbled across a flat, rocky over hang, and it was a prime basking spot. Even Marco agreed that the sun felt divine here.

She watched a stray butterfly glide past her nose with half lidded eyes. She didn't even bother to playfully snap at it, too content in her current position. Marco was sprawled out besides her, paws twitching in his sleep.

Star shut her own eyes, fully intending to sleep herself. It wasn't often they found such a place and she intended to enjoy it as long as she could.

"Fascinating. He really managed to fuse the wand with a living being." A nasally voice cut through the air, jarring Star out of her near sleep. "The beastial forms are a different story though. Possibly a blood mixing, but then again, that only ever results in half-monster forms."

Star gave a low growl as she sat up, searching for the intruder. She paused in confusion when her eyes saw him though; he was tiny, and floating, and clearly not human. He had a gem in his forehead, kind of like her stone, except it was shaped different, and pink compared to her stone's golden color. His white beard stood out against his blue skin, as did the yellow robe he wore.

"Hello Star." The Being eyed her with indifferent curiosity. "Do you remember me?"

 _"Should I?"_ Star huffed, lowering her head so she could be eye to eye with him.

"Depends. Although it's been a long time since I've met someone able to create their own telepathic wavelength. It might be from the wand." The Being floated down and poked her stone before she could react. Star snapped at him and leapt away, growling. However, her eyes widened as she felt her stone give a low pulse.

"The wand still recognized me, that's a good sign." The Being said, unfazed as he floated closer again.

 _"Telepathy?"_  Star asked.

 _"Telepathy, communicating through the mental spectrum. Almost everyone simply piggybacks of a frequency that I made but you actually managed to create a unique frequency. It looks like you couldn't tell the difference though, which is interesting enough on its own."_ Star narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher any difference between what the Being had just said and how he had been talking before. Other than a change in pitch though, it sounded the same as before. So instead she chose to move past his words, turning her snout down towards her stone.

_"Wand? You mean my stone?"_

"Really? Is that what you call it? Not like it matters much to me." The Being shrugged.

 _"Wand."_ Star couldn't help but throw the word around more, happiness bubbling up in her stomach. Wand. She could see it, a star completely whole and shining with light. She had a wand. Somewhere, sometime, she had a wand.  _"Wand. I had a wand. I had a wand! A Wand! A Wand!"_

A low growl stopped her, Marco had drawn himself up on his feet and was staring at the blue being with open hostility.

"Ah, Marco, nice of you to join us." The Being greeted, nonchalant even as the smoke began to wisp its way out of Marco's mouth

 _"What do you want with us? And how do you know my name?"_ Marco growled again, a puff of smoke following the sound.

"Take it down, would you? I just want to talk." The Being floated closer to Marco, although Star noticed it did stay out of Marco's reach.

 _"You didn't answer the second question. How do you know my name?"_ Marco prowled over to stand between Star and the Being.

"Fine kid, I was sent here to see you two, okay? I knew you two for a while, before whatever happened to you." The smoke abruptly stopped, Marco staring at the Being with open shock.

 _"You knew us?"_ Star rushed past Marco, pushing her nose as close as she could to the Being.  _"How? What were we like? Who are you? Were we friends? Marco, can you believe it? We finally found someone!"_

"Slow down. I-" The Being sighed, a loose sort of sadness settled over his features. "-I didn't know you that well. Except that you were a girl, and he was a boy."

 _"That's easy."_ Star snorted, shifting to hold her hands out for the being to see. "See?"

"Would you look at that." The Being paused, looking surprised.

"It's not that surprising, we're human too." Marco said, walking to stand next to Star. Star was staring in him in utter disbelief. "What? He doesn't seem that bad. If he wanted to do something he would have already done it."

"But still. This is good!" Star flashed Marco a blinding smile before turning back to the Being. "Anything else you remember?"

"Not much." The Being said, his voice short and clipped.

"How helpful." Marco snapped, eyebrows raised.

"Marco." Star hissed, giving him a reprimanding shove. "He doesn't mean that. You've been plenty helpful. Now I know I had a wand."

"You had a wand?" Marco asked.

"Oh! I didn't tell you, but yeah, I had a wand!" Star's hands were a blur of motion, only slowing as she turned Marco towards her to point to his stone. "Our stones, they were parts of the wand! I remember that now. Can you believe it?"

"I can-" Marco paused, a smile slowly blossoming on his face. "I can see it Star. I know what you're talking about. I can see it! I can remember it!" Breathless, he whispered. "This is incredible."

"I know! And its all thanks to-" Star pointed to where the Being had been floating a few moments before, except, there was nothing there. "Where'd he go?"

Shifting back, Marco sniffed the air, rumbling,  _"I can't smell him, but it looks like he used magic."_

"Dangit, I wanted to talk to him more." Star sighed, shifting back to lay her head in her paws.

 _"So did I."_ Marco laid beside her.  _"Even if he was keeping things from us."_

 _"You actually want to talk to someone who isn't me?"_  Star teased, as Marco rolled his eyes.  _"You're all grown up."_

_"He didn't seem untrustworthy, even if he was annoying."_

_"He wasn't that bad."_ Star retorted before guiltily mumbling.  _"But his voice was kinda getting on my nerves."_

Marco snorted, a guttural, but heartfelt laugh emerging from his chest. Star tried to keep her face straight, and lasted all of five seconds before she broke down into her own throaty laughter.

* * *

"My queen." Glossaryck greeted as he appeared beside her. Sitting in her chambers, Moon had been staring out at the afternoon sun, trying in vain to keep her gaze away from the green of the outer forest that she could clearly see.

"Glossaryck! How many times have I asked you to please not do that." Moon snapped back, willing her racing heart to slow.

"Ever since you were Star's age." Glossaryck responded, noting how Moon's expression turned dark.

"What did you find?" Moon asked, standing up stand in front of Glossaryck, who floated at eye height.

"They didn't attack me for one. Although that might have been enjoyable, it's been a few centuries since someone dared attack me. They don't seem to remember much though; Star didn't even know what the wand was until I told her." Glossaryck shrugged, eyeing Moon carefully.

"Did you tell her? About who she was, and how they got be whatever they are." Moon asked her voice dangerously close to sounding desperate. If only her subjects could see her now. The part of her that was still positive gave a laugh at that, but was drowned out by the panic that was building as Glossaryck paused. "You did, right?"

"Listen," Glossaryck sighed. "Telling her won't bring back her memories, not in full. It would probably just scare both of them off."

"You didn't tell her!" Moon shouted, puling her face into her hands. "You didn't tell her."

"They won't trust it, especially not Marco." Glossaryck shot back. "My Queen, do you really think it's going to be that easy? We only have the faintest clue what he did to them."

"Can't I hope!? Is that not allowed?" Moon screamed, taking a step towards Glossaryck.

"I'm sorry my Queen, I really am, but you must let them come back on their own." Glossaryck, put one of his hands on Moon's hand, offering a small smile.

"I just, every time I think that she's out there, fighting every day, and that- that monster is still out there looking for her. I can't stand it." Moon walked past Glossaryck, shoving the chamber doors open as she stormed down the hall.

"Still though, its quite incredible what he's accomplished. They're both strong enough to create their own telepathic wavelength, not to mention most their magic is done unconsciously, without a spell. Even the fact that they can shift like that is something I've never seen. Frankly, its incredible. But of course, that's getting rid of the emotional side of things." Glossaryck trailed behind Moon, thoroughly enjoying how any castle staff they ran across swiftly got out of the Queen's way.

"What more do you want Glossaryck?" Moon rounded on him, stopping her furious march.

"To ask if you want me to visit them again." Glossaryck replied calmly. "And to tell you that both of them are perfectly healthy and safe. Not much can conquer them."

"He can." Moon growled, but then her stance dropped, and she sighed. "Thank you, Glossaryck. Don't bother to visit them again. You are free to return to the book. I have an important meeting to attend to."

When Moon started to walk away, Glossaryck stayed where he was, calling out. "It wouldn't happen to be with the high commission, would it?"

Moon didn't answer, disappearing around the nearest corner. Glossaryck thought about chasing after her, but decided it would be a waste of time. He learned long ago that humans rarely listened to good advice the first time it was given to them. This was something his Queen was going to have to learn on her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. Muahahaha!


	4. The Colors We See Are New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super short, but its mostly fluffy things, so that's good, I guess? Its the next chapter I'm really looking forward to though. Enjoy!
> 
> Also, I finally managed to sort out some chapter titles. 
> 
> Fun fact: All the chapter titles are from the song that first inspired me to come up with this story idea. I'll give internet cookies if anyone manages to guess it correctly. Or no one will participate and I'll just say it at the end. I'd thought it would be fun to see people try and guess it idk.

Star huffed, her paws were starting to drag behind her, and from what she could see, Marco's were too.

_"Can we take a break?"_

Marco growled softly, prepared to tell her that they should really get farther away from the town, just to be safe. But when he glanced behind him and saw just how exhausted Star looked, his own aching muscles became all the more pronounced.  _"...Sure, I think I see a lake up ahead anyways."_

True to his word, Marco stopped a few feet a large lake. He walked forwards to shove his nose in the water and gulp it down as quickly as he could. Star was right behind him, sighing in relief as the cool water ran down her throat. She gave Marco an appreciative rumble, which he quietly returned.

_"Come join me?"_ Star beckoned, wading further into the water.

Marco shook his head, floping down in the lakeside grass instead.  _"I hate getting my paws wet. The water just sticks to the fur in between you toes and then I'll have to walk on it, and just... ugh."_

Star only snorted in response, internally giggling at Marco's strange dislike of wet feet. While he sunbathed, Star was having fun swimming around, enjoying how the water felt as it flowed around her fur. Eventually, she even dared to stick her head under, marveling at the sight.

The water was so clear, she could see the stones lining the lake's bottom. The green clumps of plants were visible too, drifting gently back and forth. Fish swam beneath her, their scales glimmering in the afternoon sun.

She brought her head out of the water to refill her lungs before diving under again. This time, she pushed her self down, pumping her legs until she could touch the stones sitting on the lake bottom. Now the fish swam past her, almost eyeing her with curiosity. Playfully, she snapped at them, smiling as they darted away long before her teeth could even get close to them.

She took one last moment to admire the surreal quality of the underwater world before making her way back to the surface. Once her head was above the water, she was met with Marco's worried gaze. He had gone up to sit by the lake's edge, his tail twitching anxiously. His eyes held fear in them, but he wasn't staring at anything, just looking blankly over the water.

Pawing her way over to him, she used her nose to flick some water onto him. Grinning as he startled out of his trance, she splashed him once more before bounding further back into the water teasing,  _"Come and get me!"_

Marco paused for a moment, glancing down at his paws as he made his decision. With a grin, he rumbled,  _"You better start running."_

Star followed his advice, dashing forwards through the water as fast as she could. Marco ran after her, ignoring how the water squelched in between his toes in favor of having some fun.

The only thing was, Star had already been swimming for a while when Marco had been resting, which meant that she ran out of breath long before Marco did. With a yowl of  _"Gotcha!,"_  he pounced, landing sending them both tumbling.

Standing proudly over her, Marco helped her get to her feet before smugly asking,  _"You wanna try getting me next?"_

_"Shut up."_  Star snapped back, but there was no real bite in her words.  _"I'm tired."_

_"Do you just want to sleep here tonight?"_ Marco began to pad back to shore, his fur dripping.

_"Really?"_  Star half collapsed once she reached the grass, but her eyes looked at Marco with surprise.

_"Sure. I don't think either of us are going to want to move on anytime soon."_ Marco replied, curling himself around Star.

_"You're right about that."_  Star murmured, yawning as Marco began to groom her, his raspy tongue a comforting assurance against her fur.

Already half asleep, Star yawned again.  _"You don't have to do that you know, we could just use our stones."_

_"Where's the fun in that?"_  Marco softly teased, but he knew she was already sleeping, given her soft snores. He checked the sky to see that the sun was already nearing the horizon. Closing his eyes, his stone gave a gentle glow as the earth shifted around them, the soil rising and thickening to form a cocoon around the two of them, save for the sizable exit where the sunlight peaked through.

The last words on his tongue before he gives into his exhaustion were a mumbled,  _"Love you Star."_

* * *

He wakes up to something slimy touching his tail. With a snarl, he rounded on the assailant; a snail of sorts, except for the fact that it had wings, and was colored bright pink and purple.

A bright flash drew his gaze away from the strange creature, and he suddenly realized Star wasn't there. He managed to stay calm as he walked outside their shelter, but still let out a sigh of relief as he saw Star.

Star was in her human form, petting a spider that had a hat on...for some reason.

_"What is that?"_ Marco came up to sniff the creature, who jumped and hid behind Star.

"Hi Marco." Star said cheerily. "This is spider with a top hat. I made him."

_"You made him? What?"_  Trying again to get a closer look at the creature, who looked like it was exerting all of its energy trying to stay out of his sight.

"Shift Marco." Star offered. "Then he won't be scared of you."

Marco complied, sitting cross-legged as the spider finally came out of hiding. The spider walked up hesitantly to Marco, tipping his hat in greeting. Marco smiled at the sight, reaching out to touch the spider's surprisingly soft body.

"Again, how did you make this?"

"With my stone." Star said with an excited smile. "I was found a really cute snail, and I was thinking, 'I wish I could have a snail like that, except maybe bigger, and with wings," and my stone lit up, then it was just there. Then I made this little guy."

"Do you think I can do that?" Marco asked.

"Sure you can! Try it." Star encouraged, bouncing slightly with anticipation.

Marco closed his eyes, concentrating on making something, anything, maybe another spider to match Star's. Except, when he opened his eyes, his stone was still dull, and there wasn't any new creature to be found.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get it down eventually." Star put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I know." Marco says, shrugging out of Star's grip so that he could shift.  _"We have to keep moving though."_

"Really?" Star asked, but she already knew the answer. Giving the spider one last pat, she shifted as well.  _"Goodbye. See you later."_

Star gave a sigh, as she moved besides an awaiting Marco.

_"I'm sorry."_  He offered her, pressing his nose into her fur.  _"But we aren't safe if we stay in one place for to long."_

_"I know."_ Star sped ahead, forcing herself not to look back.

* * *

Boo Fly shuddered as he approached the house, his hands twitching nervously. He could already smell the reeking scent of mewman blood that permeated the air. Still, he had a job to do, whether he liked it or not. He was in far to deep already.

"Master- bzzt- I have news- hmm- for you." He said, flying through the opening that the unhinged front door created.

"What news?" The monotone voice answered, walking out of one of the side bedrooms. He was wiping his claws off with a towel, frowning when he passed over the nub of his missing finger.

"Signs of- hmm- the subjects- have been spotted- bzzz- further south." Boo Fly made sure to keep a good distance away, keeping his head lowered as was protocol. "We're close."

"Excellent." Toffee grinned, but the joy in it was tainted by the utter malice pervading throughout his body. He waved a hand as he walked outside, ordering, "Get someone to clean up the corpses. We might as well make it look like they disappeared."

Breathing in the outside air, Toffee let himself relax slightly. He was close, so close to getting them back. Then he could finally complete what he had started centuries ago.

He only gave one last glance towards the country house, eyeing its small shed with contempt. Why those two would ever decide to sleep here of all places was beyond him. Sadly, the mewmans who had lived here hadn't had any useful information, even in the face of death.

It didn't matter. He had all the time he needed to find them.

And find them he would.


	5. We Can Feel The Sun: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star recalls the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late chapter, but college work just decided to sneak up on me. But I'm really happy with it so that's good. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Star dreamed in colors mostly. A swirl of hues and tones as they shifted and twisted their way around her. Sometimes they were joyous, other times they were dark and ominous. She didn't get the nightmares that Marco did, not the ones with memories flashing past her. Star's dreams were peaceful enough, at least when she was sleeping.

Star didn't dream often though. Most of the time, she couldn't. Her eyes wouldn't shut, her mind wouldn't stop racing.

So no, Star didn't dream often. But Star remembered.

* * *

First, there was pain. Her body hurt from the tip of her nose to edge of her tail. Every part of her was in agony. Only, she felt wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. She looked down at her paws and recoiled. Those shouldn't be there. She shouldn't have paws, she shouldn't have a tail, she shouldn't have horns, she shouldn't have a muzzle. It was wrong. All of it was wrong, wrong, wrong. But what should she have instead?

She didn't know, she couldn't remember. And that was killing her.

She was in a room. Stone surrounded her. Light came from the ceiling, but it wasn't natural. Just like her. She took a shaky step forward, her body burning with every subsequent step.

She threw herself into the stone wall, desperate to escape, to get out, to stop feeling wrong. She yelped, her head ringing from the impact. But she threw herself against the wall again, and again, and again, and again. The pain was a welcome distraction. She remembered pain. Pain was normal. Pain wasn't wrong. Not like she was.

Something hissed, and she stopped to see where the sound was coming from. It came from above her. Green gas was pouring in from above, and as soon as it was near enough for her to smell it, her world started going black, and she fell into oblivion.

* * *

She awoke to the sound of voices. Faint, but still understandable.

"We didn't expect such a severe reaction sir. The boy had no such symptoms."

"I understand that. You are dismissed. I will deal with her."

She still felt wrong. Her paws that shouldn't be paws itched, urging her to do something, anything to make the feeling disappear. The four stone walls that surrounded her didn't offer an escape. They didn't offer much of anything. The light above her flickered as she heard the sound of stone scraping against stone.

There was an opening in the walls now, she bolted for it, ignoring her body's protest. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared though, and instead she slammed into the wall head first.

"You're that desperate to escape, aren't you? That doesn't surprise me though. " A voice, she hadn't seen anyone enter, but now she could see their outline clearly.

It was a lizard, one that stood on two legs. His face was stoic, with only a small smile tugging at his lips.

She lunged. Everything in her was screaming to attack him. He was an enemy. He was dangerous. He would hurt her. He would hurt…someone, someone else.

Her jaws were about to snap shut around the lizard, but he shuffled to the side, dodging her. Then, all she could feel was pain. It was different then before though, this pain coursed through her, making all her hairs stand on end as she collapsed, whimpering.

"We're going to lay some ground rules." She looked up to see a strange machine sitting in the lizard's hand. "This little thing gives you an electric shock. The electric shock is painful. Do as I say, and you won't get shocked. It's as simple as that."

Part of her was still reveling in the agony of the electric shock, as the lizard had called it, while the other part considered what he was saying.

She didn't want to listen to him. She still felt wrong, and the thought of obeying this guy only sickened her further. So, she got to her feet, growling softly.

"It's your choice. Either lay down quietly, or suffer the consequences." The lizard said with a cold smile.

She charged again, the instinctual rage against the lizard overriding any feelings of fear at the lizard's. But the result was the same as the last time, except the pain lasted longer this time, and she saw black dots flash across her vision.

She stood up though, and leapt again. The pain soon followed. It didn't matter though. She didn't want to simply lay down and give in, even if she didn't know who she was giving in to. Besides, she didn't feel quite as wrong now that she was doing something, fighting something, ignoring how her strange body felt.

But she wasn't invincible, soon she couldn't see at all, and she couldn't stand up anymore without her legs giving out on her. She could hear him still, sounding closer than ever.

"Are you really going to waste your time fighting me? Just accept it already."

_"Never."_  Her own snarl surprised her, and that was her voice, wasn't it? It sounded strange to her, unusual, different than what she thought it should be. She didn't even know what language she was speaking, only what the word itself meant. It meant she wouldn't give in, she wouldn't stop fighting.

"I'll take that snarl as a 'no' then." Her vision cleared slightly, giving her a narrow view of the lizard walking away and pressing a button on another machine.

The machine projected a bright screen with an image on it. It was another beast, in his own enclosure.

She forced herself to her feet, taking a shaky step towards the screen and the unfamiliar beast that wasn't unfamiliar at all.

Everything else faded away when she looked at the other beast. All she could focus on was the intense yearning to see him, be near him, comfort him, stand by him. With a low whine, she stuck her nose through the screen in an attempt to reach out towards him. She was left blinking in confusion as her nose passed right through the screen. Backtracking, she tried it again, only to get the same result.

She couldn't understand, she could see him right there, why couldn't she reach him? He was so close. She should be able to reach him, to talk to him.

"You recognize the earth child? That's interesting." The lizard pressed a button on his clothes, whispering something else that she couldn't hear.

Her eyes glued onto the other beast, they widened when she saw other lizard like creatures walk up to it, holding a familiar machine.

No. He didn't deserve that. They couldn't hurt him.

_"Don't hurt him."_ She whimpered without thinking, her panic growing.

The other beast was on his feet now, brandishing his horns at the creature threatening him while trying his hardest to slink out of its reach.

The lizard whispered something else into his clothes, at the creature on the screen stopped, backing away from the other beast.

"So, let's make another deal. Listen to me, and we won't hurt your friend over there. Do anything I don't agree with, and well…" The lizard trailed off, gesturing to the screen.

The creature advanced on the other beast once more, pushing him into a corner. She screwed her eyes shut, hoping and praying that she was wrong about what was coming, but she couldn't block the yelp of pain that rang out and touched her soul.

"Sit." The lizard ordered, and despite everything in her screaming to fight, she sat, drawing her tail around her paws. She wouldn't let the other beast get hurt. His yelp still echoed around in her head, and she had a feeling she wouldn't forget it anytime soon.

"Good." The lizard practically purred, and her lips curled upwards, but she stayed still regardless. "I look forward to working with you."

The lizard backed off, taking the screen with him, walking through the door that had somehow appeared again. He turned to softly add on, "One last thing, I would stay calm, unless you want us to hurt your friend."

The door slid shut, and she was left with nothing but her thoughts again. The itch in her paws returned, a part of her screaming at her that she was still wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. She shoved it down, focusing on what she remembered of the other beast. She didn't want him in pain, and it was much easier to concentrate on that than it was to concentrate on herself.

* * *

They fed her on occasion, but she always stayed hungry. The left water in a dish for her to drink though, although that was only refilled when she was fed, so she drank sparingly. There was another place to do her…business as they had put it. Usually the place reeked, but it wasn't something she couldn't handle or wasn't used to.

They had her do tests too. They took her to another room, she didn't know exactly where. They never kept her awake when they moved her from room to room, always gassing her so she was kept unconscious and confused.

The test ranged from simply making her run until she couldn't anymore or trying to get her to shift- whatever that meant. She hated when they tried to make her 'shift.' It was like being torn apart from the inside. Sure, this body still felt wrong, but the now faint feeling was nothing in comparison to the utter anarchy that ran wild inside her whenever she tried to 'shift.'

The lizard was no longer just 'the lizard' he was 'the Lizard.' She knew he was the leader here. No one dared defy his orders. She didn't know his name, and she had little desire to, unless it would let her remember who she was.

She heard the other monsters who worked here talking about it when they thought she was knocked out. She heard whispers that she and the other beast weren't from here, that they had been different before the boss had gotten his hands on them. The words had sparked a hope in her that fueled her onwards. Now she knew she was more than a prisoner, a beast. There was something outside these walls waiting for her. She just had to remember what it was.

* * *

She knew something was off when they brought her to the new and strange room. It was more like a pit than anything, circular walls surrounding her, with what looked like seats lining the top. The ceiling was still blocked off though, offering nothing but a view of solid stone. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Lizard staring down from one of the more important looking chairs, a silent warning if she rebelled.

Across from her, a gate slowly rose up, the darkness beyond it showing nothing but a pair of glowing hazel eyes. She took a step back, mentally preparing herself in case a fight broke out. She had been forced to fight other beings before, but never like this.

She heard a low growl as the hazel eyes moved nearer, a growl that was oddly… familiar?

Her guards dropped as the beast's face came into the light, revealing her suspicions to be true.

It was him. The other beast. Her tail started to wag behind her, her eyes lighting with joy. The joy was dimmed slightly when she saw the state he was in though. He was limping heavily, one of his eyes swollen. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he panted. He was littered in various cuts and scrapes, some of his fur missing or covered over with scabs. But still, his tail gave a wag of its own. Even if it was tiny, almost imperceptible, it was there, and that was all the validation she needed.

She bounded over to the beast, stopping just shy of his nose.

_"I know you."_  She couldn't help the greeting, even if she knew he likely wouldn't understand her, time here taught her that no one understood her language.

_"I know you too."_  She faltered for a moment, taking in the facts that this other beast could understand her and somehow knew her like she knew him. Caught up in her ecstasy, she brushed their noses together, completely unprepared for the blinding rush that followed the touch.

It was familiar, so familiar, yet it was new and exhilarating all at once. She could feel him, see him, all around her. They were sitting side by side, laughing. They were fighting monsters together, twisting and moving around the other with ease. They were dancing, a dreamlike red light shining around them.

For the first time since opening her eyes, she felt right, she felt complete, she felt whole. She knew that he was meant to fit perfectly with her, this other beast, her friend, her-

_Marco_

The name hit her like a blow to the stomach, fast and brutal and leaving her gasping for air. She couldn't care less though, now that she knew who Marco was.

She opened her eyes, expecting to be met with the Marco's snout, but was welcomed by a completely different sight.

He was standing on two legs, his body standing upright. His face was flat, as was his body now. His wide eyes stared down at his, his, his, hands, as Star remembered them. It was only then that she looked down herself, to see that she looked just like Marco, besides that she was slightly shorter than him, had much longer hair, and had a different sort of outer layer than his red and black one. Hers was green, and flowed together instead of being separated like Marco's was. She decided that she liked it.

Joy bubbled through her bloodstream, and for once, she felt right in her own skin; the sheer euphoria from it all was freeing.

Lurching forwards, almost losing her balance with her new, wobbly legs, she engulfed Marco in a- a hug.

"Thank you, Marco. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." She whispered into his ear. "I remember you, I remember you."

"I'm so glad you're here Star. Thank you." Marco whispered back returning the hug. "I remember you too. I'm so happy."

"Well, as touching as this has been, it's time to break it up." The Lizards voice rang out over their embrace, cold, but a smug lilt to it none the less.

No. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn't separate them, not after she could finally remember. She took a step forward, ready to fight with tooth and claw, but she suddenly realized this body didn't have anything like that. But still, she was ready to do whatever it took. She felt right, and she wasn't going to let the Lizard take that away without a fight.

The Lizard slipped a mask over his nose though, and a familiar green gas began to seep out of the walls.

She fought against it for as long as she could, but her vision soon faded to black, leaving her with nothing but the hint of Marco's name on her tongue.

When she awakened to find herself back in her much to small enclosure, alone, and with paws and a tail once more, she couldn't stop the mournful howls that were ripped from her throat.

It was only later that she fully realized what Marco had called her.

_"Star."_  She growled the name into the stale air, smiling at the sound of it. The name brought a reassuring warmth to her chest, and for a second her surroundings disappeared as she reveled in it.

Star. She wouldn't mind being called that again.

Star fell asleep easily then, comforted by her new identity.

* * *

They made her shift more often, after she met Marco, and to her surprise, it didn't hurt nearly as much. She could do it on command now, the process becoming almost natural over time.

Then they started talking about magic and spells and stones and it all went downhill.

They were trying to 'stimulate her,' and Star despised every second of it. From electric shocks to burning metal sticks, it seemed that every day they found new ways to torture her.

When she was laying in her enclosure though, the only thought that kept her standing was the thought of seeing Marco again. He was still in here somewhere, waiting for her, missing her like she missed him. She was sure of it.

Once, the thought of death had flitted across her mind, and she almost relished the idea. It was a way to escape the pain she was subjected to, and in that moment, that was all she wanted.

She was swamped with guilt after the thought though, because how could she think like that? How broken was she to actually look forwards to death? How could she do that to Marco?

She chased away any thoughts concerning death after that. If she was going to die, she was going to die only after seeing Marco one last time.

* * *

It happened suddenly, as most things did here. One moment Star was sleeping, dreaming of darkness, then a pain shot through her, stemming from her chest.

She stared down to see the half-star that was embedded in her chest giving off a soft glow, one that grew brighter with another stab of pain.

Star drew herself to her feet, flinching as the glow grew brighter still.

She hadn't really paid much attention to the stone, not even when the monster surrounding her had started whispering about it. It hadn't ever done much but sit there, so she had been content to ignore it. But now? Now it was shining bright and filling her veins with a burning energy.

The energy built and built until it felt like her heart was going to explode from where it was pounding in her chest. She didn't feel any great concern though. The energy didn't feel malevolent at all, instead, she was left searching for how she could find more of it, more and more because she remembered this feeling, and she didn't want to let it go anytime soon.

As if responding to her wishes, the energy surged, and Star found herself roaring instinctively as a beam of pink light shot out of her stone, demolishing the wall in front of her.

She almost tripped over her own paws in her scramble to get out. Alarms blared around her as she ran through the long hallway that had sat just outside her enclosure.

Her stone still shined brightly, and Star could feel a faint pulling in her chest. She followed it blindly, it wasn't like she had anything else to guide her out of this place.

Turn after turn, hallway after hallway, she didn't slow down for anything. Any monster who found themselves in her path, regardless of whether they had weapons or not was brought down, with her teeth or her stone, whichever was closer.

After a seemingly endless maze of hallways and rooms, the pull in her chest dies down when she reaches the same pit where she had first seen Marco. Charging to the gate where he had emerged from, she melted it to a puddle as she leapt inside.

_"Marco?"_ She rumbled into the darkness, relaxing as a familiar pair of hazel eyes revealed themselves.

_"Star?"_  A weak growl responded, Marco limping out to where Star could get a good look at him.

He was covered in injuries, scrapes and gouges alike. His horns and fur were stained with dry blood. Star bounded over to him, her stone shining softly. She pressed her nose against a small scrape above Marco's eye, wishing desperately that she could fix him somehow, make his pain go away.

Both of them let out a surprised huff as a soft light enveloped the scratch, sealing it shut without a scab or scar.

_"Magic."_  Marco's voice held a hushed awe.  _"You can use it?"_

_"It comes from my stone. You can probably use it too."_  Star informed him as she moved to the next wound, using the newfound ability to heal any and every injury she could see. Once she was done, she beckoned him forward.  _"Now let's get out of here."_

_"You don't know how long I've been waiting for that."_ Marco shook himself off quickly before running ahead, Star caught up to him quickly, grinning as they raced side by side.

Needless to say, nothing stood in their way, stone and monster alike. The only issue was the fact that they couldn't find a way out. Star had wanted to simply blast their way out, but Marco had advised against it, saying that for all they know, they could accidentally send the whole establishment crashing down on them. Begrudgingly, Star had agreed, leading them to this.

The Lizard stood in their path, brandishing a pair of short sickles. Star could see real sunlight poking through the doors behind him, and knew that he was the last thing standing between her and freedom.

She sent a blast towards him, growling as it missed. Marco took the distraction as a chance to charge, intent on skewering the Lizard.

The Lizard slipped past the charge, slashing into Marco's side as he flew by. Twisting, Marco lunged for a second attack while Star leapt at him from the front.

The Lizard dropped to the ground. Star overshot him, but Marco snapped his jaws around the Lizard's tail, ripping it off with a satisfied snarl.

The Lizard let out a small gasp of pain, but kept his composure as he jumped to his feet. Star shot another beam at him while Marco spat out the tail.

In one motion, the Lizard curved around the beam while throwing one of his sickles at Marco.

Marco dodged the weapon, taking a second to make sure the weapon wasn't coming back. The Lizard had taken the distraction as a chance to charge Star, dodging or deflecting any magical attacks.

Star snapped at him as he neared, her jaws shutting around his other weapon. With a smile, she tore it out of his grasp and sent it flying across the room. She readied herself to deliver the final blow when she was sent flying, pain blossoming on her cheek. Her head pounded, and the world spun from where she laid on the ground. Faintly, she could see a mace in the Lizard's hand, the reason she had been sent flying.

The lizard was walking closer, his tail swishing behind him. Star couldn't help but be confused at the sight, hadn't Marco torn that off?

A dark figure jumped over the Lizard, crouching over her as he sent a threatening snarl towards the Lizard. Marco's tail brushed against her side as he lowered himself down, his snarls growing deeper as the Lizard kept getting closer.

"You know, I can understand why you chose him as your escort. He certainly has a determination to him, if little else. Still, I was hoping for better from you Star." The Lizard's eyes had a fire in them now, filled with long held malice and contempt.

Marco's stone began to give off a glow of its own, a soft green as he snarled once more, a final warning.

"Do it, Marco. I know you want to." The Lizard beckons, spreading his arms out in challenge.

Smoke poured out of Marco's mouth as he took a step forward, his stone shining brighter. A ball of greens and blacks formed in front of his snout, churning and twisting as it slowly expanded. It shot forwards, faster than Star could track, crashing into the wall besides the Lizard.

For a moment, nothing happened, silence overtaking the air.

Then, a flash of light followed by a roar of fire and energy. The hallway was engulfed in fire, narrowly missing Star and Marco.

Without pause, Marco turned to help Star to her feet, checking her face anxiously as he searched for injuries.

Star strode forward towards the awaiting doors. Marco followed her, his breathing slightly labored, but he kept stride anyways.

Star blasted her ways through the doors, walking out to see what the world held for her. She grinned as the sunlight hit her face, closing her eyes for a moment just so she could take it in. She could feel Marco take in an awestruck breath beside her, and she leaned into him.

_"We're out Marco. We're out."_  Star whispered, taking a hesitant step forward, suddenly aware of just how large the landscape in front of her was. It was barren, a flat area of rocks and stones. She spares a glance backwards at the large building currently in flames.

_"What do we do now?"_  Marco asked, looking just as intimidated by the world around them as she did.

Still, she took a steadying breath, leaned down to heal the shallow scrapes on Marco's sides, and took a few more steps forward.

_"Let's just run. Run until we can't see this place anymore."_  Star said, looking ahead at where she could see a hint of green.

_"I'd be happy to."_  Marco replied, stepping up beside her as she took off, starting at a slow jog but quickly speeding into a full out run. Marco joined her both of them smiling as the ground raced away under their paws and the sky opened before them.

The sun shone brightly, lighting up the world around them as they ran side by side, free at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some art for the fic if you're interested in what Star and Marco look like.  
> https://marleymaely1234.tumblr.com/post/163000300467/experimental-au-art


	6. We Can Feel The Sun: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco recalls the past.

The first thing he noticed was the pain coursing through his veins, he could feel it from his head to his paws. Strange, he doesn't feel like he should have paws, or horns, or a snout, or a tail, or fur. It's all strange and wrong and he considers going into a panic before thinking better of it. He couldn't panic, not when he didn't know what was going on. Stay calm, focus on breathing, and shove all the wrongness down to deal with later.

The second thing he noticed was the room he sat in. It was only about twice his length on every side, leaving him with little room to maneuver as he paced back and forth. A small light flickered above him, dim and artificial.

He couldn't have been up for long when, with a low hiss, green gas poured its way into the room from above. He slunk into a corner, holding his head low to try and avoid it, but soon his vision was flickering, and his head was hitting the cold floor.

The second time he was woken by a sharp jolt. He sprung to his feet, snarling at whatever had hurt him. He found himself staring into the cold, calculating eyes of some sort of lizard. The lizard had some sort of contraption in his hand, long and metal and sharp.

He backed away from the strange machine, his lips curled upwards. He still felt wrong, the feeling nearly overpowering him before he shoved it down once more, letting it pool and churn in his gut.

"Hello, earth child." The lizard spoke, his voice sent a wave of anger and fear surging through him. The lizard paused after that, as if waiting for a reaction.

He wasn't planning on moving anytime soon though, not until he was sure he could come out of an encounter with this lizard unscathed. Something that wasn't likely right now.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" The lizard asked, scanning him with an indifferent gaze. "I wonder if you can even understand me."

He gave a low growl at that, tail lashing from side to side.

"I'll take that as confirmation that you can understand me. At least that makes my job easier." The lizard, turned away, leaving his back exposed.

He took his chance, knowing instinctively that this lizard was bad news. He couldn't identify it, but he wanted the lizard gone before he could hurt anyone else. He leapt forwards, but the lizard turned back at the last moment, throwing him into the wall.

He saw stars, the world tilting dangerously. Before he could find his footing though, another stab of pain shot through him, traveling through his muscles in a wave, making his fur bristle with the intensity.

He let out a whimper, curling in on himself as he waited for his vision to clear.

"I suggest that you learn the rules quickly here. Do as your told, and you won't have to deal with this. It's quite simple, really." He hears the lizard clearly enough, he only saw fuzzy forms and vague colors though.

He can hear quiet footsteps fading, and the scrape of metal against stone before silence overtakes him.

Uncurling himself, he takes in his surroundings once more. He hadn't noticed the change, so focused on the lizard as he was, but the room he was in was substantially bigger than the last one, and had a metal gate blocking one entrance. He could only see more stone and other gates like his outside it, but at least it was something.

Once he can stand without shaking, he practically throws himself at the gate, gnawing at the metal bars with a ferocity that surprised even himself. He didn't stop though, even when his teeth started to ache and his mouth seemed to be permanently stained with the tang of metal.

If he was being honest, he'd rather be doing something that was useful than think about himself. He didn't want to think about his strange form. He didn't want to think about being trapped. He didn't want to think about the fact that his memory was fuzzy at best concerning anything before waking up in the first room. He didn't want to think about the utter revulsion he held for his new body. He knew the body had to be new, because this wasn't right, none of it was right.

* * *

He'll never forget his first time in the pit. He had been sitting, staring at the stone wall blankly, when the gate had suddenly opened of its own accord.

He bounded out, hoping and praying that it would lead him away from here. Instead, he was met with the high, circular walls of a pit. He was left staring up into the many seats, almost filled to the brim with various monsters.

They were shouting and yelling, shuffling around at his appearance. The sudden rush of noise made him whine, burying his head in his paws in a fruitless attempt to shut it all out. Screwing his eyes shut, he didn't move until the crowd quieted enough for him to hear another gate open.

He opened his eyes to see a cyclops looming on the other side of the pit, a mace in hand. He rose to his feet, pressing his tail against the wall as he followed the cyclops' movements. It was much, much taller than he was, reaching about halfway up the pit's walls. Her one eye glared at him, her simple tunic covered in tears and dried blood.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Belinda the terrible vs. the Earthling. Place your bets now." He recognized the lizard's voice, finding the familiar figure standing in the center of the crowd, a ring of empty seats surrounding him.

With that, the crowd erupted in noise once more. Monsters were clamoring over one another, shoving random coins and slips of paper forward.

"Two monsters. Only one will remain." The lizard spoke again, and the crowd instantly quieted. "Begin."

Belinda charged, raising her mace high as she prepared to crush him. Twisting left, he avoided the strike, bits of stone flying into his face as the mace hit the floor.

He ran, his stomach sinking when he saw that both gates were shut, locking him in here. Running past Belinda, he leapt forwards, claws scrambling to get a grip on the stone walls. He couldn't reach the edge though, and he fell onto the floor, gasping for air as his side slammed into the ground.

He didn't have time to waste catching his breath though, Belinda was rushing towards him, mace at the ready. He tripped over his own paws in his attempt to dodge. He managed to avoid the brunt of the blow, but the mace still dug into his thigh and he howled.

Raging from the pain, he bared his fangs, turning to try and sink his teeth into Belinda's arm.

He was too slow though, and a course hand slapped him across his face, sending him to the ground once more.

He was on his feet in an instant this time, snarling as he backed away.

He didn't want to fight. He didn't want to hurt anyone. But he didn't want to die either. He had to survive. He had to live. He had, he had…

He had someone who was waiting for him, he realized. He froze, eyes wide. He could see her faint outline in his mind, hear her laugh, feel her touch on his skin.

A kick to his chest sent him flying, but he barely felt it.

She was alive, somewhere. She had to be waiting for him somewhere. Was she here?

He staggered to his feet, panting heavily. He needed to know if she was here, if that lizard had her in his clutches. He wouldn't lose here. Not now, not while she was still out there.

When Belinda charged him, swinging her mace, he ducked under the blow. Slipping behind Belinda, he jumped up on her back, pushing through the burning in his hind leg. His paws found a grip on Belinda's shoulders as she flailed around, trying to shake him off.

He lunged forward, snapping at the hand that held the mace. His teeth sank into flesh, and Belinda let out a cry of pain, dropping her weapon. Leaping off, he landed over the discarded weapon, snarling as Belinda cradled her injured hand.

_"Give up."_  The words come as a surprise to him, a deep snarl that sounds unfamiliar and fitting all at once. He didn't have time to focus on it though, because Belinda looked like she's preparing to charge once more.

Lunging forward, he tilted his head as he rammed into Belinda's leg. His horn pierce through skin, and he can both see and feel the muddy brown blood that's dribbling down onto his face.

He leans back, Belinda giving another cry of pain as she collapsed to the ground. He limped over to her, climbing onto her chest as he growled,  _"It's over."_

Belinda's eyes are shut tight, her face scrunched up as if she was waiting for the final blow.

He isn't here to kill though, so he looked to the crowd above, who have stayed oddly quiet throughout the fight. He can hear discontented grumbles rippling through them, and the lizard has a small frown.

"Earthling. It's you or her. There is no other option." The lizard's voice cut through the air, and Marco paused, realizing just what the implications of that were.

It was him or her. Her or him. They weren't going to let him go unless he, unless he…unless he killed her. He couldn't kill someone though. That wasn't right. That wasn't how he did things. It wasn't right to kill someone.

Lost in his head, he didn't notice the arm reaching up to grab his throat. He was lifted off the ground, struggling to pull air into his lungs as Belinda held him out in front of her.

He thrashed, his body desperate to find a way out. Panic started to set in as blackness started creeping into his vision. His paws were scrabbling for something, anything to latch onto. With one final struggle, he felt his claws connect with something soft, and Belinda dropped him with a wail.

He laid on the ground for a moment, relishing the fact that he could actually breath. He dragged himself to his feet, trying to keep the weight off his injured leg.

He looked up to see Belinda stumbling around, a hand pressed to her eye. Blood trickled through her fingers, and he started to feel sick.

Belinda tried to kill him, he knew that much. Oh god, he really had to go through with this, didn't he? Him or her. Her or him. No other options.

His body moved on its own, knocking Belinda over once more.

He didn't want this. He didn't want this. He didn't want this. His nose was running as his head moved downwards, jaws opening.

He couldn't die here. He had someone waiting for him. He couldn't abandon her. He couldn't leave her, not before seeing her face one more time. He didn't want this. But he couldn't avoid it either.

Tears ran down his cheeks as his teeth wrapped themselves around Belinda's throat. His eyes scanned frantically for something else to focus on other than the tang entering his mouth and the thrashing beneath him. They landed on the lizard eventually, and they didn't leave the lizard. Even as his grip tightened and the thrashing stopped, he never let his eyes leave the lizard's form.

The gate opens up on its own, and he flees into it, away from the horrible sight he left in the pit. Once he's alone, his stomach empties itself. At least it washed out the taste of blood.

Slinking away from the meager bits of food now decorating the floor, he curls up into a ball in the corner.

He doesn't sleep unless he has to after that. His dreams wouldn't stop reminding him of what a monster he was. He saw her face, tasted the grit and blood, felt her struggling against him, and it made him feel sick all over again.

He was terrible.

* * *

The same lizard kept coming back to talk to him. The lizard didn't enter the gate though, choosing to hover just outside it. Sometimes the lizard would forgo small talk, choosing instead to see what the limits of Marco's pain tolerance was, or how quickly he could dodge an arrow. He hated those times.

But he did end up learning a lot about the lizard from the one-sided conversations. Apparently, the lizard's title was just "The Lizard." He also heard that he was here for a purpose, for testing reasons, but that there were bigger plans in place. He never learned what they were though, the Lizard always stopped talking around then.

"One has to wonder," The Lizard said one day. "just what is it about the Butterfly family that makes them so special?"

He pauses at that, taking in the Lizard's words. Butterfly, it was a word that was familiar to him. Again, her image flashed across his mind, and he was left wondering what the connection was.

"Honestly, the only species across the entire multiverse that has access to such a wide array of magic. It's quite unfair in hindsight." The Lizard held out one of his hands, the one that was missing a finger. "They can destroy anything in their path, all thanks to that stone buried in your chest."

He looks down at his chest, peering at the stone in question. He couldn't understand how it could destroy anything. All it did was sit there.

"I have a feeling she already chose you as her escort. Shame she didn't take after her mother on that regard." The Lizard smirked at that, although it held only malice and fury. "Although, I must admit, it makes this much easier."

" _What easier?"_ He rumbled, even knowing the Lizard couldn't understand him.

The lizard raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't respond to his question. They sat in silence for a bit, until the Lizard spoke up again.

"We have more in common than you think. She'll leave you for dead one day, they always do." With that, the Lizard turned and walked away, leaving him alone again.

No one came to see him besides for the Lizard; well, besides for the one time another monster visited him, shocking him once before leaving. That had been unusual.

He fought constantly though. They threw him into the pit as soon as he could walk with the injuries from the last fight.

He hated it, but he hated himself more for it. He despised how the fighting became a familiar, practiced motion, that he did only half-consciously. He hated the feeling of skin and flesh tearing underneath his claws and teeth. He hated the feeling of life bleeding out into the stone floor. He hated that he could kill without a second thought. Though, he never looked at his victims while he was doing it. He always kept his gaze on the Lizard, trying to imagine that instead of some innocent monster, he was tearing his way through the Lizard's throat.

Then one day, the door opened when it shouldn't have. He wasn't in any condition to fight and win. He lurked for a moment, trying to see if it was some sort of hallucination. He took a step forward when the gate stayed open though, slowly walking into the pit once more, mindful of his many, many injuries. He remembered the one time he had decided to try and stay inside his pen rather than leave. He had ended up with more injuries from that action than any fight thus far.

Still, he was pleasantly surprised when he saw just what was waiting for him.

It was her, he just knew it. He hadn't seen her before, and he knew this wasn't what she should look like, but it was a feeling in his gut, a surge of familiarity and security that couldn't be misplaced or misunderstood.

Her tail started to wag at the sight of him, and bubbles of joy rose up from his stomach. He tried to imitate the gesture, but his tail had been slashed by a monster the other day, and couldn't move much. Still, she seemed to understand what he was trying to do.

She ran over to him, stopping just shy of his nose.

_"I know you."_ Her happy rumble caught him off guard. For a second, he feared he wouldn't be able to answer, he was so shocked.

Still, he managed to answer accordingly,  _"I know you too."_

Her eyes lit up in joy at his response, and his own sense of happiness tripled at the sight. Then, she pressed her nose against his, and he was flooded with sensations and memories.

They were standing side by side, laughing together. They were fighting side by side, but without the bloodshed and the madness. They were dancing, surrounded by an ethereal red light. She was here. She was with him. She was still here. She was-

_Star._

Her name came to him in a roar. Overpowering and deafening, but all he could listen to as he repeated it to himself.

He cracked his eyes open, expecting to be met by Star's muzzle, but saw a very different sight.

Star was standing on two feet, a mop of messy hair sitting on top of her head and flowing down her back. She looked like she had in his memories, yet a million times better, because she was here in front of him.

Staring down at his own body, he found that he looked similar to Star save for a few differences. The red fabric covering his chest was a comforting weight, and he wished he could have known about this form before now. This felt right. This was how things were meant to be.

He was thrown off balance when Star rushed forward, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Marco. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." She whispered into his ear. "I remember you, I remember you."

"I'm so glad you're here Star. Thank you." Marco whispered back, wrapping his arms around her body. His mind wrapped itself around the name Star had given him. Marco. Marco. Marco. It fit him like a second skin. "I remember you too. I'm so happy."

"Well, as touching as this has been, it's time to break it up." The Lizards voice rang out over their embrace, cold, but a smug lilt to it none the less.

Wait. No, no, no. They hadn't even seen each other for that long. It couldn't be over. Not yet. It was too soon, he hadn't had enough time. He didn't think all the time in the universe would be enough, let alone these few moments.

Still, the Lizard slid a mask on as gas trickled in. Star took a step forward, looking like she was going to try and take down the Lizard from right where she stood.

The last thing Marco did before collapsing was reach out, hoping to at least touch her one time before they were separated.

* * *

He wakes up still having hands. He's in a new room, but her can only see bits of it because of the straps attaching him to the cold table he laid on.

He could hear the sound of stone scraping against stone, and saw shadows edging around him.

He paused as one of the shadows came into the light, where he could see it. It- she, looked like him, but she didn't look like Star. This one was taller than both Star and him, for one. For two, she was wearing the same clothes as the experimenters he had seen before.

His suspicions were only confirmed when the girl pulled out a small blade, one that they only ever used when they wanted to cut him open and look at his parts. He lurched up, fighting against the straps with all his might.

His new body didn't have the strength of his last one though, the straps stayed where they were and the blade edged closer. The girl was saying something, but he couldn't hear anything over the screaming in his head to get out, to escape, to run.

Something inside him shifted as the blade pressed against his skin, rippling out from his chest. He cried in pain as his body contorted, morphing and shifting around until he was free and standing on paws once again. With a snarl, he knocked over the girl first, snarling,  _"You are nothing like me, monster."_

He turned his head at the sound of shouts in the distant, words like "gas" and "sedative" being thrown around. He knew they were going to try and contain him again, lunging forward, he snapped at the shadows, all who scrambled to get out of his way.

This was it, he might finally make it out of here. Only, there was no way out of the room. Every wall was sealed tight. He dashed from corner to corner, praying that he found something, anything to let him get out of this room.

His search only got more frantic as the same gas leaked from the ceiling. He took in a breath and held it as the gas neared. He couldn't be knocked out again, he couldn't be penned up again. He was so close, so close to escaping.

He let out the breath he had been holding with a puff, his lungs burning for air. Taking a shaky breath in, he gave the girl one last glance as he started to sink to the ground.

Strange, now it looked like the girl had scales and claws, possibly a tail.

* * *

They didn't take him back to the room after that. He was left in isolation again, save for the Lizard and the fighting.

The taste of blood had become a familiar tang, fighting more a motion than an action. He went through it without care now. A cycle of injuries and healing, save for the scars on his front legs. Those weren't from the pit or from his captors. It had surprised him how distracting the pain had been when he was wrapped in self-loathing.

The Lizard came by more often now though, sometimes simply standing outside the gate and staring out into the distance, lost in thought.

All Marco did in those times was shrink back into the farthest corner and nurse his wounds.

* * *

Freedom had come as a surprise. Star quite literally barged into his cell, stone aglow. It had been not too long after a particularly grueling fight against a pack of wolves, as the Lizard had called them. He had been covered in wounds, for a moment, he considered telling Star to leave him behind to escape on her own. But then she had healed a scratch, and he could only pause, a new word surfacing to his tongue at the sight.

_"Magic."_ The word seemed to suit Star, but Marco couldn't keep the amazement out of his voice.  _"You can use it?"_

_"It comes from my stone. You can probably use it too."_  Star had already moved onto another scratch, this one on his shoulder.  _"Now let's get out of here."_

His stone? It was responsible for the magic? Suddenly, a lot of the Lizard's words started to make sense. He stayed still, mulling over the idea that he could actually use magic with his stone as Star healed his injuries one by one. It didn't look like there was anything she had to say to activate her magic. But still, did it really just activate on its own? For some reason, that didn't make sense to him.

He didn't have time to figure out how magic worked, as Star healed the last injury, a deep tooth mark in his paw. A stab of guilt shot through him as he saw the edge of an old scar as he stood up, a mark made by his own teeth. He shook it off as he ran forward, pushing his excitement over the possibility of freedom to the forefront of his mind.

_"You don't know how long I've been waiting for that."_

The two of them ran through the long hallways of wherever they were trapped. They ran across monster after monster, and Marco tried his hardest to let Star take them out. He didn't feel much like fighting anything, not if he had a choice. He had enough fighting to last him two lifetimes.

Then the Lizard showed up. He was between them and freedom, Marco could see the light shining behind the Lizard's form. Small, but bright and real, right in front of him.

Whether or not he liked fighting or not, the Lizard was between him and his freedom, between Star's freedom. And now there weren't any bars or gas to keep the Lizard safe from his agony fueled rage. Marco could finally fight back against his captor.

Marco couldn't deny the satisfaction of feeling the Lizard's tail rip from his body. He spat it out immediately, the scales tasting like bile in his mouth.

The Lizard had thrown a sickle at him, which Marco avoided with practiced ease, but then he looked back, just to make sure it wouldn't come back. It was only for a second, but by the time he had turned back, Star was flying across the room.

Marco was running before Star even hit the ground. His paws were flying over the floor. He had to get between Star and the Lizard. He couldn't let her get hurt. He wouldn't let her get hurt.

He leapt over the Lizard, twisting midair to land facing him, a snarl ripping itself from his throat.

"You know, I can understand why you chose him as your escort. He certainly has a determination to him, if little else. Still, I was hoping for better from you Star." The Lizard kept walking forward calmly, mace in hand.

Marco planted his feet into the floor, tail brushing against Star's side as he snarled again in warning. He was prepared to do whatever it took to keep Star safe. So what if he was a mess? So what if he was a monster? So what? As long as Star was alive and free, what did it matter? As long as she was okay, he would be okay. Not like he had much left to live for anyways.

A fire started to burn in his chest, its heat coursing through his veins until his vision was tainted with orange, red, and green hues. Protect, protect, protect. The mantra played throughout his mind as the fire began to burn brighter and hotter.

"Do it, Marco. I know you want to." The Lizard had stopped, a smug smile on his face as he spread his arms out in a clear challenge.

The fire in Marco's bloodstream consumed him, the green tinting his eyes flaring up. Loosely, he felt himself take a step forward. Smoke was spreading out around him, its acrid flavor only a distant sensation.

Protect, protect, protect. The fire gave one final rush of power, a tiny green and black speck flying into the wall. The fire died, leaving Marco drained as the seconds seemed to tick by. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the world exploded.

Fire and grit rained down around him, but he didn't have time to worry about that. He still had to ensure that Star was safe, or else this was all for nothing.

Thankfully, she stood easily enough, and she didn't seem disoriented or in pain. The two of them walked out of the burning hallway, into the outside world.

Marco squinted at the sunlight, its intensity blinding him for a moment. When he opened them though, he froze, his breath hissing in through his teeth at the sight.

The world was just so, so open, and wide, and vast, and borderless. The horizon's end was far off, as if it didn't even exist to begin with. Sure, there was little else surrounding them but stone, but Marco couldn't care less. A thin line of green was visible in the distance regardless.

_"We're out Marco. We're out."_  Star whispered to him, taking a stepping ahead of him. The sun shone off her fur brilliantly, the sight leaving him breathless for a moment.

_"What do we do now?"_  Marco stepped up to stand by her side, looking into Star's eyes as she bent down to heal the scratches on his side.

_"Let's just run. Run until we can't see this place anymore."_  Star said, looking ahead into the distance.

_"I'd be happy to."_ Marco smiled as Star began to jog forwards, joining her as their jog became a run, then a mad dash.

The wind in his face, the sun shining down on him, and Star by his side.

Marco couldn't remember a time where he had been happier than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to apologize in advance since I know that the next chapter is probably going to be late. I'm having a bit of writers block when it comes to what happens next in the story. I have an endgame, but I haven't been able to come up with a suitable development to reach the endgame yet. Hopefully I can get the ideas flowing soon!


	7. A Shred of Meaning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for not updating in forever, I had to go stay with my great-grandmother for two weeks and didn't get anytime to write when I thought I would. But on the bright side, I finally know where I want the story to go, so that's good. Also, I have no clue how to write the Magic High Comission, so your going to have to deal with my crappy characterization.
> 
> Completely unrelated, but I forgot to mention it in the last chapter. In the Battle for Mewni special, I nearly died of laughter when they called him "The Lizard," because I still can't believe I sorta accidentally called that.

Moon took a steadying breath as she shoved the meeting room door open. She made sure the door didn't slam against the wall though, she still had an appearance to keep up.

The expectant faces of the Magic High Commission met her, or at least Lekmet's did. Rhombulus was too busy yelling at Heckapoo, who was brandishing a pair of scissors at him in return. Omnitraxus Prime's ball had somehow been turned to where it was facing the wall. Moon could hear him calling out in vain for someone to turn him back around.

Moon cleared her throat politely, but the small sound was lost under the ruckus. As she walked into the room, she gave Lekmet an imploring look. He let out a loud baa in response, making Rhombulus pause.

"What? Queen Moon?" Rhombulus turned around to see Moon standing in the doorway, and nearly jumped into his seat. "Oh! Queen Moon! I, ah, didn't see you there."

"Hey." Heckapoo gave a small wave, going to lean against the side of her allocated seat.

"No matter. Let's begin the meeting." Moon turned Omnitraxus back around so he could see the table.

"Thanks." Omnitraxus muttered, giving a glare towards the other members of the Commission.

"What about Glossaryck?" Heckapoo asked.

"Glossaryck won't be attending." Moon announced, ignoring Heckapoo's suspicious eyebrow raise.

Lekmet gave a concerned rumble, Rhombulus leaning over to better hear.

"He wants to know the news, about the kids." Rhombulus' hands chimed in, echoing his words.

"There is no real news." Moon sighed. "The only thing Glossaryck was able to confirm is that they are alive, and they can use magic without spells."

"How is that possible?" Heckapoo jutted in, twirling a pair of scissors around her fingers.

"We don't know." Moon answered. "It's probably because the wand is… merged with their bodies."

"That's not any better though. Who knows what having a wand fused to you will do?" Omnitraxus spoke up. "It could make them go mad."

"I know." Moon tensed, her hand clenching into a fist underneath the table. "That's why I say we need to bring them here before Toffee gets his hands on them."

The Commission broke into chaos once more, everyone choosing to say their opinions simultaneously. Moon rubbed her temples as she tried to discern anything from the cacophony of voices.

"We can't just bring them back here, we don't know how stable they are, or what they're capable of." Heckapoo's voice was the first to rise above the others.

"Exactly!" Omnitraxus was next. "It's too risky. I say Rhombulus should freeze them. It would hurt to lose the wand, but it's one of the better possibilities."

"Wait!" Moon snapped, sighing in relief as the noise subsided. "This isn't just about the wand, this is about Star and Marco too. They're still alive, completely sentient. We need to give them a chance. I've already informed Marco's family of the situation, and I promised them I would try and bring their son back home."

"Really?" Heckapoo is the first to question her, as usual. "Look, Queen Moon, I get it, Star is out there and in a bad place. But you can't just throw away good judgement in some desperate scramble to get her back. Have you ever thought of the possibility that she isn't ever going to just become the same princess that disappeared?"

Lekmet rumbled softly, but Rhombulus hesitated as he moved to translate.

"He's with Heckapoo." Rhombulus refused to look at Moon, his voice only a small mumble in comparison to his usual shout.

"I also have to agree with her." Omnitraxus sighed. "Star's a good kid, and so is her friend, but we have to look at the bigger picture. Toffee did that to them for a reason, and he probably knows that you're after them. Bringing them back here unfrozen just isn't safe, he could be exactly what he wants; and even then, we don't even know how they would react to it. Either way, we need to take the logical path."

"The logical path? Since when has the logical path ever turned out well when Toffee is involved?" Moon pushed herself onto her feet, leaning over the table as she continued. "My… my mother tried the logical path with him, and look where we are now."

"That doesn't apply now though, that was years ago." Heckapoo refuted. "

"But we need to talk to them, only they have even the slightest inkling of what Toffee has planned." Moon argues back, ignoring the obvious reason- that she just wanted her daughter back dammit- in favor of going with the point that would most likely win them over.

"But they're also a key part of that plan, a fact that you seem to be forgetting." Heckapoo spat back.

"Look, guys," Rhombulus interrupted. "not to go against the crowd or anything, but we should give them a chance. We all know Star, right? She's never given my gut any bad feelings, why don't we trust her?"

"You can't just rely on your gut." One of Rhombulus' hands hissed before anyone else could comment, the other hand quickly joining in.

"Yeah, we've talked about this, remember?"

"Thank you Rhombulus, for seeing the situation as I see it." Moon said, Rhombulus giving her a tiny nod after shooting Lekmet a guilty glance. "Neither Star nor Marco have done anything wrong, why should we treat them like criminals?"

"They've stolen from just about every town on the border." Heckapoo said, leaning back in her chair.

"They need supplies to survive. They haven't killed a single mewman, even when attacked directly." Moon shot back.

"That is true." Omnitraxus begrudgingly admitted.

"That still doesn't justify not freezing them. If we froze them, it'll be safer for everyone." Heckapoo argued, still determined to stand her ground.

"I realize that." Moon sighed. "But they are our only lead on Toffee in over 30 years, we must try and see what they know about him. Regardless, they are as much a victim to Toffee's malice as any of us are, or even more so. They deserve a shot at returning to their lives."

Heckapoo was the one to sigh this time, Lekmet bleated in her direction, Rhombulus whispering whatever the goat had said into Heckapoo's ear.

"Fine." Heckapoo snapped. "I'll agree to it."

Before Moon could even begin to give her thanks to the fiery woman, Heckapoo was already continuing.

"But, only if you explain exactly what went down between you and Toffee the first time."

"What?" Moon was at a loss, her mind trying in vain to figure out why Heckapoo wanted to learn about that of all things.

"All we know is what your Mom told us before she was killed, and what you told us after you had broken the bond. But both of you share a key feature, an unwillingness to tell the commission anything in detail before it's a problem." Heckapoo was leaning closer to Moon now, her eyes narrowed.

"What does it matter anymore?" Moon asked, years of practiced poise stopping her from curling inwards defensively. Instead, she straightened, as Queen, she wasn't allowed to show weakness.

"Because that's where this whole mess began. And if my hunch is right, he's planning to use what he learned about being an escort to manipulate Star. We need to know everything so we can deal with things if and when they go wrong."

"Fine." Moon growled back. "Does anyone have any objections to the conditions Heckapoo has laid down?"

The rest of the high commission shook their heads, giving Moon permission to continue with the story, unfortunately for her.

_She was 12 when she met him. She knew nothing of treaties or wars, of spies and liars. She was just a child, a child who was inevitably drawn to the assistant general of the new monster regiment in Mewni's royal guard._

_He was nothing but courteous, playing along with her schemes and stories. He would answer all her questions, and she would answer his in return. Soon enough, she was making excuses to see him, cutting royal lessons when she knew he was on break, sneaking away to watch his practices._

_She had an infatuation of sorts with the strange lizard, the one who could win fights without even lifting his weapon, a curious mace that stayed constantly glued to his side. The one with the smooth voice and a strange obsession with remaining impeccably clean._

_It started out slowly, tentatively, given the precarious relations between mewmans and monsters. Her mother forbade her from seeing him for a short while, before deciding that the interaction would only solidify the treaty._

_They grew closer, moving on from names like "General" and "Princess to simply Moon and Toffee. They spent countless afternoons in the palace gardens, just talking and enjoying the other's company._

_When Moon received her wand, Toffee was in the audience watching, a small smile on his face. The two still spent their afternoons in the garden whenever they could, but now Moon would use the time to show off her new spells while Toffee asked questions. They had a routine, a consistency and reliability that Moon loved._

_Then her mother had approached her with the question. Would she like to have Toffee as her escort?_

_An escort. Her escort. The one being she would be forever bound to. The being that would know her best. The being that would be allowed partial control over herself._

_Moon was only 15, she couldn't fathom having an escort. An escort was something that had been a distant concept, for later._

_Escorts were a long-standing tradition of the queens of Mewni, ever since the wand was formed. They were a failsafe of sorts, although they were so much more. An escort, bonded to the bearer of the wand only when the bearer recognized them as such. The ceremony for it was quite simple actually, compared to the massive change it wrought._

_Moon and Toffee met in a private room, the Queen supervising them. Moon offered the position to Toffee, who accepted. Moon offered her hand out, and Toffee took it. Moon's vision swam, suddenly bombarded by a kaleidoscope of images. Every moment she and Toffee had shared together flashed before her eyes, blurring and meshing together. Just when it seemed like it was going to overwhelm her, the images stopped, and she opened her eyes._

_For a moment, it was just her and Toffee; the rest of the world faded away. She was pulled out of her stupor by her mother's voice, squealing in excitement over the successful bonding. It was huge, to have an escort, because in the end, no matter how much you thought you wanted to have an escort, it was up to your subconscious mind and your own magic in the end. Failed attempts were commonplace, and there were no second chances when it came to escorts. An escort was chosen for life, and there was no breaking the bond once it was formed, as far as Moon had known._

_The two had only grown closer after that, although their status as princess and escort was kept a relative secret. Over the next two years, their bond only grew in strength, reaching a point where emotions, and even pain could be shared. For a while, Moon's version of the future always included Toffee._

_She was 16 when it all came falling down._

_Toffee killed her mother in cold blood, assassinated her in the middle of the night, before she could even defend herself. He had almost gotten to Moon, had the palace guard not found her mother in time._

_Moon was distraught, she tried to attack Toffee in a blind rage, but even through the fury and the grief, she couldn't hurt him. Their bond wouldn't let her, no matter how much she wanted to. Still, she managed to force him outside the castle._

_In the course of one night, everything Moon had known was turned on its head and set ablaze. Her mother was gone, there was an army of monsters camped outside the gates, the job of Queen was suddenly put into her hands, and Toffee, her escort, the one being she thought she could trust most had betrayed her. Was he ever on her side to begin with?_

_She didn't have time to grieve though, not with her country on the brink of war. But she couldn't defeat Toffee on her own, not when she couldn't hurt him. But what could she do? There had to be a spell that could break the bond. If she could just break it, she could probably kill Toffee._

_Kill. The word had seemed so distant mere hours ago, now it was her only option. She knew Toffee, she knew his tactical genius, his ability to bend both mewmans and monsters to his will. She knew of his ambition, of his stubbornness. She knew he wouldn't give up until he was gone._

_She thanked whatever gods still existed that Toffee wasn't completely immortal. He could regrow limbs, yes, but he couldn't regrow his brain or his heart. That was where she was going to have to strike, after the bond was broken, if the bond was broken._

_She was desperate to find an answer, and when Glossaryck couldn't give her one, she stumbled across the next best thing._

_Eclipsa's chapter, the forbidden chapter. If she was going to find a spell that could break the bond, this was where she would find it._

_She had been banned from reading it for fear of how its powers would affect her, but she didn't have time to worry about that now. The seal to it bended under her will, turning to the first page._

_Moon skimmed the chapter as best she could, praying that the she would find what she was looking for, and that the uncomfortable lump in her chest didn't mean anything._

_She nearly fainted from sheer relief when she saw it, a tiny scribble labeled, "how to break an escort bond."_

_Moon read over the spell, committing it to memory. The lump in her chest had grown considerably, but she didn't have time to think about that._

_She argued with the High Commission for hours that night over what to do about Toffee. She didn't bother to tell them what she had found, knowing they would put her under lockdown for "exposure to dark powers." Something warm popped up in her chest beside the lump when River, the young noble, stood up for her against the entire council and the other nobles. She didn't think he understood just how much it meant to have someone on her side after everything that had happened._

_Still she had a fight to prepare for. She didn't sleep a wink that night, and when dawn broke over the horizon, she saddled Chauncey and rode straight into Toffee's camp._

_"I wish to speak to Toffee." She ignored the monsters' harsh laughter. "I'm sure he already knows I'm here."_

_"Silence." Toffee's quiet mutter was enough to silence the entire army; not that Moon had expected anything less from him. As soon as she could see him she took out her wand and began to mutter the words needed._

_"From gods above and demons below."_

_"Hello, my princess. You realize coming here on your own is quite pointless, no?"_

_"From ancient guides no longer here, grant my wish. Break the chains which bind me. Shatter what was not meant to be."_

_"I will listen to your requests though, if you have any."_

_"I offer my heart, I offer my soul. Take what was ours and make it null. Into the void from no return, from which not to hear nor not to yearn."_

_Light spread out from her wand, a dark purple. It was only then that Moon noticed the dark clouds that had covered the sky. The light from her wand formed a barrier around her, thin and transparent. But she could feel it tugging at her, pulling something out from inside her, and from the look on Toffee's face, it was safe to assume he felt it as well._

_"Enough." Toffee growled, reaching for the barrier. When his finger touched it though, he snarled in pain. The light had wrapped itself around his center finger, disintegrating it into nothing but purple light._

_At first Moon didn't focus to much on it, more concerned with how the bond's presence was starting to fade from her body. But her eyes widened when she saw that it wouldn't grow back. For a second, fear clawed its way up her throat; just what had she gotten herself into?_

_Then the light expanded outwards slightly before shrinking back into the wand, leaving Moon feeling empty, but satisfied all at once. She was free, their bond was broken, she could win._

_Jumping to her feet, she brandished her wand at Toffee, but he was already stalking away. Looking around, she was shocked to find that his army had scattered as well. She debated chasing after Toffee, but she could already feel exhaustion tugging at her limbs, and even the act of standing was starting to tire her. She, regrettably, wouldn't be able to go after Toffee in this state._

_Still, she felt lighter than ever as she rode back towards the castle. She was free from her bond, and even if she had just destroyed the only bond she would ever have, she was happy, pure and simple._

_As she hugged River, she wondered; had it ever been real? Had Toffee meant any of the things he had said to her? And just why had her magic accepted him in the first place? Someone so cold, so horrible at their core shouldn't have-_

_But he hadn't been that way with her, for years he had never been any of those things, not with her._

_As she pulled away and faced the High Commission, a small part of her knew that she would be dealing with this mistake for the rest of her life. That, and that for any child she had, she would be keeping them far, far away from even the idea of escorts._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When three or four stray lines in the last couple chapters suddenly become major plot points XD
> 
> I actually have had the idea of an escort in my mind since the beginning, and finally got to bring it to life here. To anyone who is confused, an escort was created as a failsafe against the wielders of the wand, just in case they began to abuse their power or something like that. It is ultimately up to the Queen/Princess' own magic to decide if someone is fit to become the escort or not, although it requires a large amount of trust on both ends. The bond strengthens over time, becoming harder and harder to push aside. Not all escorts become romantically involved with their Queen, although it isn't uncommon for it to end up that way.
> 
> I had to leave Eclipsa mostly out of the backstory for Moon, because even though her presence in the canon story is awesome, I can't find a way to work her into mine. Because adding her into the mix makes things much, much more complicated than I can handle.


	8. The Sound of My Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be honest here, this chapter is really just shameless buildup.

Marco rested his head in his paws, giving the setting sun a thoughtful glance from their shelter dug out in the mountainside. Even so, his eyes are already drooping. The had traveled hard today, pushing both of them to their limits.

Still, Star was fidgeting beside him, her paws twitching and moving as she tried in vain to relax. He couldn't blame her though, not when his mind was on edge too.

He couldn't pinpoint it, not exactly, but it was a feeling in his chest, something dark and sticky and exactly like the Lizard. Marco could feel it, and apparently, so could Star. The thought of the Lizard being anywhere near Star made his fur bristle and his stomach sink all at once.

He didn't like this though, the new, unwelcome bubbling in his chest. He especially didn't like the fact that it seemed to be growing larger with every breath he took.

All they knew was that somehow, the Lizard was getting closer, and all they could do was keep on running.

"My only question is why haven't we reached them yet." Moon's armor bit into her skin through the fabric of her clothes, adding to her ire. "With your scissors, we should have seen them days ago."

"I'm trying," Heckapoo snaps back, absentmindedly pulling Rhombulus away from the unwitting carnivorous plant he had been about to freeze. "but you know how the wand has spells around it that prevent you from creating a portal near it? Those are still in effect, and since the wand is fused to the kids, I can't find them either."

"Omnitraxus better get here soon." Moon muttered, staring sullenly as Lekmet bleated aggressively at Rhombulus, who looked like a toddler getting scolded by their parent for a crime they were sure to commit again.

Moon slid past the two, Heckapoo following close behind. She knew they would catch up as soon as they realized they were being left behind.

Left behind. She hadn't told River about this, or Star, or Toffee's return, and the guilt was starting to eat away at her. But she couldn't burden him with this, not when he was finally starting to revert to his cheerful self. Sure, he still had the same hesitance and cloud of loss that Moon had, but he was so much better than he had been when Star had first gone missing.

She resolved to tell him after it was over. After she had Star back to her normal self, she would tell River everything. He would probably pout for a few days, but it would be worth it, to save him from her current pain.

Besides this should be over soon enough. All they had to do was wait until Omnitraxus showed up, let him find Star, and then bring her home.

Moon could hardly wait.

Star trailed out in front of Marco, the crunch of forest leaves under her paws as they ran. Well, they were only going at a fast jog really, to save energy. She would much rather be full out sprinting, but Marco had said they shouldn't, in case whatever they were sensing caught up to them.

Whatever it was, whether it was the Lizard or some other enemy, Star was ready to tear it apart already.

She knew what it was like to be trapped, to be tested on, to have her freedom taken. Never again would she go through that, or let Marco go through that again.

But lately, there was a scent in the wind, a feeling in her bones that spelled disaster. Marco felt it too, although to him it was a weight in his chest, one that Star couldn't feel herself.

That didn't matter though, because they both agreed on one thing, they needed to keep moving, to outrun the scent in the wind that trailed behind them.

Neither of them had really gotten any decent sleep for the past couple days, each too nervous to relax completely. Now they had a schedule to decide on who would keep watch each night. It slowed them down, but at least one of them would sleep well every other night.

Last night had been Marco's turn to watch, tonight was hers. So the slower pace was nothing for her to complain about.

She just hoped the scent would fade away.

Moon smiled as Omnitraxus familiar form appeared beside their campfire, the swords in his skull rattling as he spoke.

"I found them, they're resting in a cave by one of the big mountains."

"We'll go after them in the morning?" Heckapoo asked, although it looked like she already knew the answer.

"Just after dawn." Moon replied, giving a small sigh. Even now, the hours from now until their departure seemed almost infinite.

Moon stared out into the dark trees surrounding them, glinting with hungry eyes that didn't dare come closer. She filtered out Rhombulus' excited shout, only noting how the eyes flinched away from the sound. It reminded her of the first and only time she had seen Star. When her own daughter had fled from her touch.

That would change tomorrow though, as soon as they could get Star and bring her home, then things could finally work themselves out.

Toffee sighed, running a hand, the one that still had all four fingers, through his mane of hair.

He still couldn't find a decent army to go against his- well pets didn't seem appropriate, but neither did failures, because they were far from failures. Experiments suited them though, his escaped experiments.

But even if they weren't failures, they sure were a nuisance. A few of his monsters had run into them by chance; it hadn't ended to well for the monsters and now they spread rumors about the power of his experiments.

Now he was left scrounging for any monster that would agree to the job. Especially when they knew the Queen of Mewni was going to be involved.

On the bright side, Moon was finally on the move, with the High Commission in tow. It was almost too perfect.

The glint of scissors caught his eye, the edge of their red handles and diamond centerpiece just visible within the cracked drawer in his makeshift desk. His last one had been burned down with the fire that his experiments had made.

His sneer turned into a small grin at the sight as he let himself indulge in the sweet taste of arrogance.

He was so close, and all the pieces he needed were falling into place.

Marco sniffed the air, his chest stirring uncomfortably. Star slept beside him, taking a small nap after her night spent on watch.

The sky was a dull grey, it's normal blue hidden by the tumultuous rumbling of the dark clouds. Not even the rising sun was visible through the veil. Marco could smell the upcoming storm, but even under that, he could still sense a trace of something more sinister, more intense. He could feel his lips curl upward as his claws dug into the ground.

He knew Star was ready to fight, but he was ready to flee more than anything. He was sick of fighting, sick of killing. His time in the pit had given him that.

The only time he could even remember fighting someone for any other reason than protecting Star had been when the strange human had stumbled too close for comfort. That human had reeked of magic, strong magic at that. They had feared it was connected to the Lizard, so Marco had volunteered to go first, try and drive the strange human away before it could take them by surprise.

The clouds rumbled again, and Marco flinched at the sudden noise. Hunching his shoulders, he resolved to wake Star up soon, no matter how much he would rather do the opposite.

He didn't know how long it had been when something else shifted beside him, a surge of magic washing over him as the world seemed to be torn open before his eyes.

He jumped back to stand over Star, a paw nudging her side to rouse her.

 _"What is it?"_ Star asked groggily, but the drowsiness vanished as soon as she saw the tear in front of her.

A blade of sorts cut through the center of the tear, which was outlined in orange and red.

Star was on her paws and growling by the time the first foot entered through the tear.

 _"We should go, we might be able to outrun them."_  Marco huffs, his tail lashing behind him.

 _"With a power like that? They'd find us in no time. Let's just beat them here."_ Star snarled, although she did leap down to a nearby clearing, Marco following suit.

They were pressed side by side when the whole entourage had emerged from the tear, or at least, the tear that had closed behind the strange beings.

Marco's eyes found their way to a familiar figure of a human exuding strange, powerful magic, and his growl grew deeper. He didn't recognize the variety of beings standing or floating around her though, and the thought of not knowing an enemy that outnumbered him was unsettling.

Star seemed to echo his thoughts, lowering herself closer to the ground as her stone began to glow.

"Star, Marco, we just want to bring you back home." The strange human stepped forward, her armor matching the dark clouds behind her. "Just let us help you."

 _"Just leave us alone."_ Star snapped back, but Marco noticed the way her breath hitched, how her paws moved just slightly forward at the sound of the human's voice.  _"Or else we won't have a choice."_

"That sounded like a 'no' to me." One of the human's companions said, the bright colors adorning both her clothing and features outlining her against the sky.

"Can we freeze them now?" The crystal being asked, his hand moving like they had minds of their own. The goat rumbled something unintelligible, while the floating skull remained silent.

 _"They can't understand us like this."_  Marco reminded Star, watching her closely as she took a step forward, then another. By the time he realized what she was planning, he was too far away to stop her from shifting.

Star looked so small, glaring up at the group of beings. The wind picked up, making her tattered dress swirl around her thin form.

"Leave us alone!" Even her voice sounded small, as hoarse and unused as it was. Marco moved to curl his form around hers, his eyes giving a silent threat. "Or else we won't have any choice but to fight you!"

Marco noted with a quiet satisfaction, the shock that had come across the entire group's faces. Now if they would just leave without argument.

"Star," The strange human stepped forward once more, and Marco tensed. "you don't have to keep fighting to survive. Just come back home, we can help you; along with Marco of course."

"Home?" Star whispered looking down at her clenched hands. Marco drew himself tighter around her, growling,  _"We can't trust them, what if they're just working for the Lizard? And even if they're not, there has to be a reason for them to come for us."_

"But she said home," Star turned to him, her eyes pleading. "what if that's where my family is?"

_"But what if it's not?"_

Star paused at that, and Marco poured all his attention into monitoring her shaken breaths, heavy as she gasped for air. He pressed his nose against her stomach to try and give her some comfort.

The strange human opened her mouth to say something else, but was distracted by the line that drew itself in the air across from her.

Marco felt his hair stand on end as another wave of magic washed over him. Star growled beside him, her freshly shifted fur bristling.

This tear was pink, but the bright, happy color only furthered the sick feeling in Marco's gut.

The clouds rumbled as a familiar hand shot through the tear, followed by the arm, clad in a black suit.

Marco froze as the figure stepped out completely, but Star let out a feral snarl. Her fury was infectious, seeping through his skin and into his blood, which began to simmer with a rage of its own after Star announced hers.

It was him. It was the Lizard. He was here. He had found them. He had found them. How did he find them? Why now of all times?

How could they escape?

Marco knew they shouldn't stay; shouldn't try and fight a battle with two fronts. He needed to get Star out of here before things escalated too far. Even with his own anger, there was no denying the fear that shot through his veins, the feeling of wrongness as old memories resurfaced.

"Hello Queen, High Commission, Star, Marco." The Lizard gave each a small nod as he listed them, his face impassive, but his eyes shining with the light of triumph, of anger, of something that Marco couldn't quite place. Whichever it was, Marco didn't like it one bit, even more so when the hint of claws made its way through the tear.

All the sides stood still, each awaiting the other's move as monsters began to trickle out behind the Lizard. There were only a couple, but all of them were covered in scars of sorts, proof of experience and skill.

The Lizard smiled, his eyes flicking over to Star and Marco before landing on the strange human, 'Queen' he had called her. "Should we begin?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the long update, but school just started up again, leaving me with about no time to write. Have you ever been in the Florida public education system? 0/10 would recommend. It freaking sucks. the only good thing is that I can hand write fanfiction when my teachers aren't looking :P
> 
> So, updates will probably be every 1-2 weeks from now. Sorry again.


	9. When Push Comes to Shove

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where stuff goes down ;)

Moon swore her vision went red when Toffee stepped out of the portal. She didn't have time to question how he had found them, he was sure to remain silent on the matter regardless.

She heard Star give a deep, menacing snarl, and her eyes flickered to see Star and Marco standing protectively around each other, focused solely on Toffee.

"Shall we begin?"

The question snapped her out of her shocked haze, and she turned to face Toffee directly. "Begin what, exactly?"

"You know what I'm here for." Toffee responded, as unaffected as ever.

"I won't let you lay a finger on my daughter." Moon drew her swords, keeping her glare on Toffee. The other monsters were nothing compared to him, Moon could tell by the way they stood back behind him.

"You don't care about the other one?" Toffee smiles, all teeth and confidence, and pulled out his own pair of maces. "Pity."

"I'll handle Toffee. You take care of the other monsters." Moon whispered to the High Commission, ignoring Toffee's jab.

With a wave of Toffee's hand, the monsters went speeding down towards Star and Marco. Trusting the High Commission to do their job, Moon raced towards Toffee, encasing her swards in a magical barrier.

The hilts of Toffee's maces withstood her first swing, and she just barely jumped over his tail as he spun.

"You're just as sharp as ever." Moon huffed, hoping the distraction would let her swords connect.

"Sadly, you can't say the same." Toffee shot back, sliding his maces down the length of her swords. Moon leapt back, the two circling each other.

Their weapons connected again, then again, and again more. The two exchanged blow after blow, but none of them could strike where they needed to.

"Enough of this." Moon snapped, her butterfly form washing over her in a wave of light.

Moon took to the air, circling above Toffee. With her bottom two arms, she summoned blue spheres and hurtled them at Toffee, swooping down behind them.

With a click of a button, both of Toffee's maces split apart at the top, revealing their own small portals. Toffee's hands moved lighting fast, deftly letting both sphere fly harmlessly into the portals.

Or at least, they were harmless until Moon was sent sprawling to the ground, hissing at the burns that her spheres had left behind.

Sending out a pulse of magic to stave off Toffee, Moon picked up her dropped swords. Panting, she raised her swords into a guard in front of her as she inched closer.

To her ire, Toffee wasn't even out of breath. Concentrating, she summoned two other swords, these ones made of a blue, crackling light, for her lowest pair of hands to use.

Toffee didn't move, observing her silently as he readied his own weapons.

Moon didn't bother trying to speak to Toffee again, charging forward with her swords at the ready. Her charge was met with ease, and Moon knew she had a tiring battle ahead of her.

* * *

Star crouched low as the various monsters climbed down towards them, growling to Marco,  _"We can take them."_

 _"Let's just run."_ Marco pleaded,  _"I know you're angry, so am I. But this is a two front battle, we shouldn't bother staying."_

 _"This is our chance Marco."_ Star pleaded in turn, her tail lashing furiously.  _"I think those other guys are coming to help us, we could take him down. We wouldn't have to worry about him anymore."_

 _"He's strong Star, you know that. He probably has some plan to deal with them, and then what?"_ Marco retorted, eyes narrowed.

 _"Then we fight."_ Star gazed into Marco's eyes, silently begging him to understand.  _"We can't just keep running our whole life. We have to face him eventually, or else we'll never be free."_

Marco still looked hesitant, leaning from paw to paw nervously, his tail drooping low. Pressing her nose against his cheek, she whispered,  _"I won't hate you if you leave, but I've made my choice."_

As Star turned away to face the oncoming enemies though, she thought she could hear Marco breath,  _"Okay, Star. Okay."_

Grinning as best she could, Star called her magic forth and sent a blast from her chest at the first monster, one which was barely avoided. A fireball flew past her, and Star turned her head to see Marco with his mouth still smoking.

Marco by her side once more, Star ran forward, knowing that the two of them could take on these monsters with ease. To her surprise though, about half the monsters were knocked down in a flurry of swords, fire, and crystal shards. The beings that had been with the human landed in front of her, all of them looking ready for a fight.

Star sniffed at them curiously, making sure they weren't going to turn around and attack her and Marco.

"We're on your side." The flame girl snapped, but there wasn't any malice in her tone. Star huffed to show she understood, then resumed her charge.

With the beings on her side, the monsters were and easier fight than she anticipated. Her stone could turn the very grass against them, curling around their ankles and tripping them. Even the trees rose to life and began their own attack, and various creatures found their way out of her stone to help as well.

Marco attacked from a distance, shooting fireball after fireball. And the beings attacked right alongside Star, save for the goat, who stood away from battle, simply watching with a concerned look.

Star paused when she heard a pained yelp, searching for its source. Her eyes widened when she saw that is was the human, struggling to get to her feet as Toffee walked towards her. Star was torn, she still had a fight to finish here, but what about the human? She knew she couldn't leave the human at Toffee's mercy though, because he had none.

Star caught Marco's eye, jerking her head up to where the human was now rising to her feet, her wings flapping furiously as she took to the air. Marco nodded in confirmation, not even needing to look at where Star was pointing.

Star jumped away, summoning her own feathered wings to carry her up to the ledge where the Toffee and the human fought. Her stone shone brighter than ever as she readied a blast. Steadying herself in the air, she fired at the first chance she saw, aiming squarely at the Lizard's chest.

She didn't know how he knew she had fired, nor how he moved so fast, but one of his maces was open and absorbing the beam before it ever got close to his chest. Star increased the power, hoping that if anything, it would give the human a chance to attack.

Her eyes widened as a portal opened where the human was flying, sending her beam straight into the human's side. Her stone dimmed as she dove for the Lizard, sticking to her teeth and claws alone. She overshot her target though, almost careening into the cliff wall. She used her paws to push herself away from it though, shoving herself back towards Toffee.

Toffee jumped to the side though, and Star was sent crashing into the human, who had been trying to charge him as well. Paws and limbs tangled together, the two of them crashing to the ground in a heap. In an instant though, the human was free and Star was on her feet, both staring down the Lizard.

"Be careful Star, I don't want you to fight him, but if you must, try and support me from a distance." The human muttered, Star nodded her head in agreement.

The human flew forward once more, swords glowing, and Star made more creatures to attack the Lizard with. Tiny horses, armed with sickle like horns. Bugs with all kinds of fangs and claws. Fish that flew through the air, curved horns twisting out of their foreheads.

Thankfully, the Lizard couldn't absorb these guys through his maces, because when he tried, all they did was turn from wherever they had been put to come back and attack him. Sadly, he tore through them like they were nothing, and still managed to hold his own against the human. It was infuriating if Star was being honest.

Still Star knew that Marco was doing his best too, and she had to do the same if they were going to beat the Lizard. She sent wave after wave of monsters at him, counting on one of them distracting him long enough for the human to get a decent hit in.

It finally happened, the Lizard, preoccupied with a furious spider, couldn't block the downwards strike in time. With a howl, his arm was laying on the ground, twitching among the stones. Teeth bared, he swung his mace in a wide arc, forcing the human to back up. The human sent a wave of her own magic at the Lizard, one that he barely avoided. However, Star could already see the stub of his arm growing back, and it was growing faster for every second.

Star tried to send a blast of pink light at him, but he rolled out of the way, and before Star or the human could strike again, his arm was back, unchanged save for the lack of a sleeve.

The Lizard wordlessly went back to the fierce pace of his and the human's fight, picking up the mace from his now limp hand.

The fight continued at the same pace, that was, until the human slipped up, accidentally digging her swords into the ground, from which she couldn't pull them out.

Star ran forward, intent on helping the human out before the Lizard got to her, but in a flash, the Lizard was beside her, swinging both maces right at her head.

Oh.

Marco was going to be mad at her for this, wasn't he?

* * *

Marco let the beings deal with the last monster, letting his stone dim. He looked around for Star before remembering she had gone to help the human against the Lizard.

He ignored the beings as they let out a little victory cry, angling himself to jump back up the cliffside to where Star was fighting from just outside the cave.

Just as he was about to jump though, he froze, taking in the sight before him.

The human was stuck, her weapons dug far into the ground. Star was running forward to help her. The Lizard, the Lizard was right there, right beside Star, swinging before Star could move out of the way.

Even from the distance, Marco felt like he could hear the crunch as the maces struck, driving Star into the ground.

There was a ringing in his ears, his snarls were more felt than heard.

Star had to be all right.

His body moved on its own, his claws digging into the rock wall like it was nothing but dirt.

Star wasn't moving. She wasn't getting back on her feet. Star wasn't healing herself like she always did.

The human's cry of rage and sorrow felt dim beneath the weight of his own cries.

Star couldn't be dead. Star couldn't be dead. Not here. Not now. Not like this.

He hadn't even said goodbye.

He leapt onto the ledge, landing just above Star's crumpled form. Her chest is still moving, although it's faint, far too faint. The fact that its moving at all is enough to stave off Marco's grief.

The human was fighting with the Lizard again, but her movements were far too desperate, too uncontrolled to ever best him, Marco could see that.

But Marco was already drained, he didn't have enough control over his magic to anything of real use.

But Star was dying, her blood spilling out into the hard stones below her. Marco needed power, he needed a fighting chance.

Below his frantic gaze, Marco could see his stone start to glow with a dim green color, but he was too distraught to really take note of it.

Star was dying, and as of now, there was nothing he could do to save her.

Then his gaze landed on the Lizard, and rage courses through his veins. He needed power to defeat this monster. He needed power to help him act on his rage and despair. And suddenly, he could see power right before his eyes.

It was purple, and floated around the human, weaving its way in and out of her skin. It seems important to her, but Marco needed power, and he didn't even think about stopping it when it began to be pulled into him.

The first touch of it sent a burst of energy through his system, a wave of life and adrenaline. It wasn't enough though, it wasn't enough to defeat the Lizard. He needed more, he needed more and more. So, Marco took it. He took and took until his muscles felt like they would explode with the restrained potential seeping throughout him.

Marco didn't see the way the human collapsed, her eyes empty and hollow, nor the way the Lizard grinned, full of a twisted sort of pride.

All Marco could see was the blood that was starting to seep under his paws, thick and cloying. All he could taste was the smoke pouring its way out of his mouth, forming a vague figure beside him.

His stone was glowing brighter than it ever had before, and beside him, the smoke figure rose to life, eyes aflame. It was thin, composed of nothing but ashy bones, its eyes were hollow, a burning pupil in the center. A hat billowed over its head, and a sword rested in its hand.

Marco ordered it to attack the Lizard with a low growl, twisting down to try and figure out where Star was bleeding. To his horror, she had shifted into her human form, curled into a ball and shaking. That wasn't good. That meant she was nearly out of time. Marco needed a way out here. His eyes land on a pair of scissors sticking out from where the human had fallen. Without a second thought, he darted for them, even daring to shift into his human form so he could grab them.

These were the things that had torn open the sky, they could get him and Star away from here. Running back to Star, Marco took the scissors by their handle and plunged them into the thin air, his eyes widening when they struck something halfway solid.

He screwed his eyes shut as he dragged them down. He wanted to be safe. He wanted Star to be safe. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be in a place where all those desires could be met.

Soon enough the sky had torn itself open for him just as it had for the human and for the Lizard. Picking Star up and cradling her in his arms, Marco began to walk towards the tear.

Just before he entered though, the clouds finally gave way, a pouring rain spreading over the terrain. Marco's smoke lackey began to dissolve, leaving the Lizard without an enemy to fight.

Marco trudged forward though, trusting the tear that sat in front of him.

"You think you've made it through, haven't you?" The Lizard called after him, cold and sharp. "Don't think so highly of yourself. You'll just corrupt her in the end."

Marco didn't bother to respond though, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Whatever power he had gathered was beginning to disperse, taking his own energy with it. Every step seemed to become harder than the one before it.

When he finally made it through the tear, all Marco could see of his surroundings was that it was daytime. Everything else was just a blur, a mix of colors and impressionistic shapes.

Surprisingly enough, he could hear voices, although they were faint and flickering.

"Holy shi- Marco?"

"What happened to- she's bleeding, we have to help- isn't there anything-"

"Someone already called 911- his parents though-"

"What the fuck happe-"

"Jan- not the time for- I can't believe-"

"Marco?"

His name was the last thing Marco heard before drifting off into slumber. It was strange though, how familiar the voices had seemed, but how distant they had been all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun times, am I right?


	10. I Feel So Alive

When Marco opened his eyes, his first instinct was to panic. He didn't have a clue where he was to begin with, and Star wasn't by his side.

He was laying on some strange surface, wrapped in some layers of white cloth. Immediately, he leapt out of the bed, staring at the strange wires that were latched into his arm. The fact that he was still in his human form at all was surprising. Was he still that weak?

He pays no mind to the peculiar white dress that had replaced his usual attire, shifting successfully. The room was painfully bland, even more so to his bestial eyes. There was too little color, mostly everything was either white, gray, or some mix of the two. The room was also meticulously cleaned, looking artificial in every corner. It unnerved him.

He steps over the wires that had fallen out during his transformation, sniffing at the liquid that came leaking out of the torn ends. They had been pouring liquid into him? Why? Was it anything like the gas?

Marco didn't know, and he growled to himself, his fur standing on end. This place was far too much like the Lizard's captivity for Marco's liking.

As he walks forward, he starts to sniff the air, desperately hunting for even a trace of Star's scent. If he had been separated from her again he, he, he- he didn't know what he would do just yet, but his panic was growing. He couldn't find it, not even the smallest hint. Then, with one desperate inhalation of air, he caught a trace clinging to a chair that had been pulled up beside the strange thing he had been laying on. It was faint, but he could detect the tiny trail it left. It wasn't much, but it was all he had.

He ran to follow it, but he slammed his head against the wall. Shaking the pain away, he discovered that the exit was only large enough for a human to fit through, much to his ire. Still, he did what he must, shifting back just long enough to fit through the entrance.

His paws nearly slid on the shiny floor beneath him, and it took him a few moments to really get a grip on the new surface. A human rounded the corner he was about to turn at, and he narrowly avoids slamming into them.

Instead of attacking though, this human simply gave him a glance, screamed, and ran away. Marco snorts, but he is relieved that he doesn't have to fight anyone. The drag in his step showed that he wasn't up to top capacity yet.

But he still had Star's scent, and he followed it doggedly. Most humans simply ran, although he avoided the ones who didn't, sometimes giving them a warning snarl. He accommodated for any humans that looked seriously ill though. He was worried but he wasn't about to turn cruel.

It didn't take him too long to track the scent down to a single room, but as he neared, the smell of others inside the room drifted into his nose. Pausing, he took a quick peek around the corner, spying two girls sitting in chairs, both facing away from him.

Still, he relaxed as he spotted what he had come for. Star was laying in the center of the room, on a thing similar to the one Marco had awoken on. She too, was wrapped in white cloths, with even some winding around her head, but from here, Marco could spot the even rise and fall of her chest, and that was enough for him.

The humans in there would just be a nuisance though, so with a low growl, he activates his stone, smoke trailing from his jaws and into the room. It coiled around the two girls, and before they could notice, it had tightened itself against their skin and pushed them against the wall.

Marco shifted only enough to get through the entrance way, not trusting these girls nearly enough to reveal his human form. He couldn't really see them, but from their height, he knew they must be young. And wherever there were young humans, adults were bound to follow not long after. He had to work fast.

Both humans were staring at him now, wide eyed and shaking. The smoke only trapped them up to their necks, and Marco was curious as to why they weren't shouting for help yet. Sure, he didn't want them to, but it was curious all the same.

He was determined to pay them no mind, that was, until he catches a trace of Star's scent on one of the girls. Turning, he growled,  _"Why do you have some of Star's things?"_

"Leave her alone!" The girl's companion, the one with short, dark hair shouted, struggling against her bindings in vain. "I'm serious, you mess with her and we aren't going to have a good time."

Right. Marco had forgotten that humans couldn't understand them. That was irritating. He rumbled softly, trying to sound non-threatening.  _"Like you're one to be making threats here."_

His attempt to diffuse the situation went unnoticed though, and the dark girl just kept spouting promises of 'what she would do to him if he laid a hand on her' and other things. Marco ignored most of them, sniffing curiously at the lighter haired girl in front of him.

The smoke moved when his nose touched it, revealing the girl's hand, which was wrapped around Star's headband. Carefully, he removed it from the girl's hand, wincing when one of his teeth accidentally drew blood.

 _"Sorry."_  He rumbled, even knowing that she wouldn't understand. Then he moved away from her, stalking over to Star. Something weird was swirling inside his stomach from where he had smelled the girl, Marco could only pinpoint it as nostalgia. He didn't have time to think that over though, not when he was running out of time to get Star out of here.

He slid the headband where it should be, mindful of the bandages. It was a little awkward trying to do it with his teeth, but once he got it on part of the way, he was able to push the rest of it on with his nose.

With a snarl, he found that they had wires connected to her arm as well. He stared at them, trying to figure out the easiest way to bite through them. As he opened his jaw to sever them though, a loud cry stops him.

"Don't, you'll kill her!" It was the lighter haired girl this time, and the panic in her eyes made Marco pause, considering his actions. He wasn't dead, but then again, he hadn't been injured like Star has. Marco swallowed the nausea that came with the memory of Star's limp and bloody form. She was alive. She was still here. And Marco would be damned if he was going to leave her.

So with a sigh, Marco curled himself around the thing that Star was laying on. He released the two girls, snarling at them in warning before turning his full attention back to Star.

Whispers of their conversation still reached his ears, but as long as they didn't try to attack him or Star, he couldn't care less what they did.

"It doesn't seem like it wants to hurt anyone. It's protecting her."

"I know J, and I usually dig this kind of stuff, but this is just freaky. Who even knows what's going on in the rest of the hospital right now?"

"Maybe we should try and talk to it, it seemed like it was talking to us, sort of."

"But what if it's with the same dudes who hurt them? It got pretty close to you too."

"I'm fine, but what do we do now?"

"I could go check on Marco if you want."

Marco's head shot up at that, and he tilt it, staring at the two girls.

"Um…"

"Wait J, this is gonna sound weird, but doesn't that thing kinda look like Marco. I mean, in his normal clothes."

"Kind of, but not really. Look at the tail and horns, I don't think Marco has anything that looks like that."

"I know, I know, but…" The dark-haired girl glanced at him, and Marco narrowed his eyes in response, snorting. "…Marco?"

 _"So?"_  He rumbled back, his tail flicking upwards to reflect his surprise.

"Holy crap."

"Hey-" The dark-haired girl was cut off when two other humans raced through the entryway. Marco could only handle looking at them for a second before he turned his head away, staring at Star instead. He didn't want to face whatever it was that had lodged itself in his gut. Whatever it was, he didn't like it.

"Oh, are you two alright?" Marco could recognize it as a woman's voice, and something in him ached when it reached his ears.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from the beast." Marco looked up at that, just so he could check on what the man was actually doing. The man had placed himself in front of the other humans and was raising his hands as some sort of threat. Marco snorted, rolling his eyes in fond exasperation. Wait, where had Marco felt this before?

"Mr. Diaz, wait a sec." Marco hardly heard the dark-haired girl's statement, trying in vain to push away the feeling of familiarity, to shove down any longing he had to be by these humans' side.

Everything else faded as Marco fought a war within himself. He had to look after Star, he didn't have time to be chasing delusions. Even if he did, he knew he couldn't rely on his instincts alone, and he wasn't about to turn into a hypocrite.

But with a risky glance towards the humans, Marco was starting to see what Star had meant. These humans felt right, and nothing he's doing was changing that in his mind.

"Marco?" It was the woman again, and it took everything in him not to immediately turn into his human form at the sound of her voice.

His tail was lashing furiously now, and Marco kept having to shake his head to try and regain control of himself. He shouldn't; but he should. He couldn't; but he could. He won't; but he might. None of it makes sense to him, he couldn't trust anyone besides for Star, let alone these random humans.

But a part of him did trust them, and he was tearing himself apart trying to find the reason why.

"Marco?" The woman asked once more, and Marco snarled, not at her, but at everything. Still, he gave an ashamed whimper when he saw her flinch away.

 _"I'm sorry."_  Marco curled tighter around Star, tucking his head in between his paws.  _"I don't understand. I don't understand any of this!"_

Only now the humans were all looking at him with wide eyes, and Marco looked downwards to see that he suddenly had hands instead of paws. He moved his gaze back to the humans, all of which had traces of tears in their eyes, even if the dark-haired girl was trying to hide hers.

"Sorry." Marco let himself whisper before shifting back and burying his head in his paws to hide himself once more.

"Marco," The woman reached for him, and he shrank back. The woman paused, holding her hand midair as she eyed him with teary eyes. "oh Marco."

The man began to walk towards him, spreading his arms out wide as he said, "Marco, just let me wrap you up in-"

"Rafael. Don't. Just look at him." The man's approach was blocked by the woman's arm, her free hand gesturing to his bristling fur and curled lips. "I-I want to hug him a-and kiss him too. But- but that isn't what he needs right now."

"But-" The man sighed, backing away slowly, his arms lowering to hug the woman.

The woman returned the embrace readily, whispering so softly even Marco had a hard time picking it up, "I know, I know, but this isn't about us, it's about him."

The woman turned to the other two girls, facing them with a small smile. "Janna, Jackie, thank you for what you've done so far. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

"No problem." Janna- Marco was sure of it- spoke first, looking resolutely at the floor in what Marco assumed was embarrassment.

"Yeah, Mrs. Diaz, don't worry about it." Jackie was next, sliding her hand into Janna's as she spoke. "We're their friends, it's the least we can do."

"Really girls, you've done too much." The man wrapped both girls in a hug, and Marco could almost hear the air being squeezed from their lungs. Something in Marco softened at the interaction, and for the first time, the familiarity wasn't choking him.

Of course, the calm couldn't last forever, and soon a new brand of sirens was blaring from somewhere outside the building.

All the humans turn towards the entryway, as if they were expecting something to come crashing through at any moment. Even Marco rose to his feet, to the human's surprise, but he didn't move away from Star, simply readied himself for the inevitable fight with whatever accompanied the sirens.

"We'll protect you guys." Jackie reassured him, and for some reason, Marco believed her.

"Yeah, they aren't getting past us." Janna was standing beside Jackie, an easygoing smirk on her face.

"I'll try and see if I can't talk them down." The woman said, glancing to Rafael. "Come with?"

Rafael nodded, the two of them slipping out the entryway.

The air was thick with tension as the three of them waited, no one said anything, save for Janna's faint muttering. Jackie turned to her, her eyes asking a question. Janna shook her head, her muttering stopping immediately.

Marco stared at them, trying to figure out what seemed different about their relationship. They were too young to be mates, but still, there was something unusual about their relationship. Then again, who was he to even begin to analyze human relationships? It wasn't like he knew enough about them to do so. So, Marco shoved the train of thought into the back of his mind, focusing instead on the pounding of footsteps that was steadily nearing.

Soon, there was a horde of humans outside the entryway, all dressed in a similar fashion, and all of them pointing obvious weapons towards him and Star. Obviously, the other human's attempt to hold them off had failed, and since they still hadn't returned, Marco could only guess their fate.

The thought of those humans dying gave way to a new kind of rage, and Marco gave a loud snarl. Some of the men flinched at the sound, but others only looked more prepared to attack. Two could play it at that game though, and Marco took a step forward, hoping to scare them off.

"Girls, please step away from the monster." One of the men ordered, his voice harsh and grating.

Jackie and Janna looked torn, and Marco rumbled softly,  _"Don't trust them."_

"Please move away," The man ordered again, and Marco's fur bristled. "if you don't we'll be forced to open fire for the safety of the patients here."

"Bu-"

"No." The man cut Janna off, to Marco's frustration. "We don't have time for games."

That was it. Marco was done putting Star and the girls in danger, his stone started to glow. He ignored the shocked whispers of the men, instead concentrating on the wall surrounding the entryway, struggling to get it to do what he asked. Slowly though, the walls began to merge together, melding over the entryway to seal it off from the outside.

The men were near panicking, but the man who had given the orders threw something through the entryway before the walls could seal it completely. Nothing else made it through before the walls solidified and any exit was cut off.

In terms of the kinds of days she could have, Janna supposed this wasn't the worst of options, although it certainly was one of the weirdest. Her and Jackie were stuck playing hostage negotiators between the police and Marco- a statement she never would have associated with the safe kid of their school before today. The cops had managed to throw in a walkie talkie before Marco had cut them off from the world.

As of now, they had managed to get Marco to agree to allow food to be passed inside. It was difficult, when they could only get jerky nods or shakes of his head for answers. He wouldn't leave his dog/wolf/ whatever it was form, and even though it felt like he was talking to them by growling, it wasn't like her and Jackie cold understand him. He still hadn't moved from his spot around Star's bed, and he got antsy if her or Jackie got too close. He didn't growl at them or anything, but he started fidgeting, his lips twitching up into a half snarl.

Honestly, it was starting to get kind of annoying. But if Jackie could keep her cool than so could Janna. And it wasn't like Marco didn't have any reason for it, Janna just didn't know what those reasons were yet. But if he ever snapped at Jackie again, just returned from the supposed dead or not, Janna was going to kill him.

"Now, would it allow a doctor to come in and see the patient?" The poor negotiator, some woman who sounded like she definitely needed some more coffee in Janna's opinion, asked with a sigh.

"It's a he, but I'll ask." Janna replied before turning back to the half-asleep lump of fur. "Hey Marco, do you mind if they have a doctor come in here to see Star? They need to make sure she won't die."

Marco rumbled, his eyes narrowing in thought. While he was thinking, Janna gave Jackie a shrug, one which Jackie returned with a helpless sigh.

Janna had to look back to Marco when, with what sounded like a begrudging growl, nodded his head.

"You're good to go. He'll let a doctor in."

"Will he let any of you out?" The negotiator asked the same question they had been repeating for hours, and Janna didn't even have to look at Marco to see him shake his head in denial.

"Nope." Janna said, popping the 'p' for fun. She didn't exactly have anything to entertain herself, save for Jackie, but Janna wasn't going to bother her when she was stressed. It may not be obvious, but Janna could see the way Jackie kept fiddling with the wheels of her skateboard, and Janna knew that Jackie was trying to not to show her real anxieties.

It didn't take long for the hesitant knock on the walls, and for Marco to let the walls open just enough for the doctor and a nurse to step inside before closing them again.

"Ah, hello." The doctor gives them all a hesitant wave, Janna nodded at him before smirking at the way his face pales when he really looked at Marco. The nurse was silent, but Janna made a game out of counting the amount of times the woman swallowed.

"I'll just-" The doctor reached out to touch the IV drip in Star's arm, only to freeze when Marco snarled at him. "-um."

"I got this." Jackie slid in past the doctor to whisper something to Marco, of course, she still was at a distance, but Marco lowered his head at her request. Jackie gave the doctor a small smile, saying, "You should be good to go now."

"So, what'd you say to him?" Janna whispered once Jackie came back to sit.

"I just told him what they were actually doing." Jackie frowned, and Janna inched closer. Janna was never one to initiate things between them, but even she could tell when Jackie needed a little reassurance. "I think he just doesn't understand how things work anymore. It's weird, because you think he would, right?"

"He's always been the smart one." Janna remarked, noticing the way Marco's eyes never left the doctor or the nurse, flickering between them.

Jackie pushed Janna's shoulder lightly, rolling her eyes, "You're smart too."

"Yeah, yeah. But I'm like, street smart. Marco's all book smarts." Janna snorted, accepting Jackie's offer to hold hands. "At least, he used to be."

"Who says he isn't? We just don't know what he's thinking."

"Yeah, and it's annoying." Janna grumbled, earning her a reprimanding flick on the cheek.

"Janna." Jackie drawled.

"J." Janna deadpanned back, smirking as Jackie finally smiled.

"Come on, it's not like this can go on forever." Jackie leaned to rest her hand on Janna's shoulder, sighing slightly.

"Can't it?" Janna shot back, chuckling slightly.

Jackie groaned into Janna's shoulder, "Why are you like this?"

"You love me."

All Janna got in reply was an indiscernible mutter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone still wondering about Moon, all I can say is ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> All I can really say about the Janna/Jackie is that I've always seen it as a cute relationship, so I figured, why not? On that note, what exactly is their ship name? At least the most widely used one. Because I still don't know. Granted, I haven't really gone looking for the ship on the internet yet, but like, would it be Jackna? Jankie? Junkie? I'm just saying that last one would be hilarious. That may just become my personal name for them.


	11. Your Beating Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning in advance I have no idea how the police actually operate so I just sort of winged it. This is about as accurate as a blind man shooting a bow and arrow would be.

It took five days for Star to awaken. Marco stayed steadfastly by her side for the entire time, as far as Janna knew. Both her and Jackie were still trapped in here, their section of the hospital quarantined off.

Thankfully, after much convincing from her and Jackie, Marco had finally agreed to let them out, if only one at a time with the condition that they would return. Overall though, it could have been a lot worse. They got to miss out on school, the company wasn't horrible, and it gave Janna more time to simply be around her girlfriend, something that she hadn't been able to do for the past few weeks.

But when Marco was suddenly twisting himself to stand over Star, nose hovering above her forehead, Janna froze, praying that this was a sign for the better.

Jackie gasped when Star's fingers twitched, and Janna felt her own breath catch in her throat. The two of them rush over, not too quickly, but as fast as they could without startling Marco. Jackie is bold enough to place a hand over Star's, while Janna's fingers flutter nervously over the sheets, unsure of where to latch onto. Jackie used her free hand to guide one of Janna's over to rest on top of her and Star's hands, solving Janna's dilemma.

Star's slow, even breaths were interrupted when her eyes flew open, her chest heaving in a breath as if she had forgotten how to breath at all.

Janna could feel her eyes burning, and resolved herself to sniffle, keeping the tears back. In the corner of her eye, Janna could see Jackie doing something similar.

"Mar- Marco?" Star whispered, her voice hoarse and raspy.

Marco practically keened, shoving his head on her chest and rubbing his cheek against her chin.

Once Marco seemed to find it fit to remove his head, Jackie cleared her throat, "Hi Star."

Only, Star took one look at them, then immediately jumped back, enveloped in light.

Jackie's hand wrapped itself around Janna's as they step back, tight lipped in awe as another beast emerges from the light. The resemblance to Star is uncanny, and even if Janna hadn't just seen Star transform right in front of her, there was nothing else this beast could be.

Star rubbed noses with Marco, the two of them circling around the other, connecting as much skin as they possibly could.

Janna pulled Jackie back, trying to give Marco and Star space. Now Marco was growling softly, Star answering him in light huffs.

It was strange, Janna decided, watching them together. Not because they were different, but because it was too similar to before. Janna could have been watching them in the hallways and their interaction would have been fundamentally the same. Of course, there was a wariness to them now, a quiet fear that surrounded them. Their aura of mistrust was outlined by the way Marco shot glances at her and Jackie and by how Star angled herself so she could react at any moment.

With one last rumble, Star turned back towards them. Under her stare, Janna shrank. But Star didn't stare for long, another wave of light washing over her before she bounded over to them, her now human eyes shining with excitement.

"You guys knew us?"

"Yeah, we've known Marco forever, and we met you a few months ago." Jackie supplied, and Star almost looked confused for a moment. It was gone as soon as it came though, and she paused, waiting for something more.

"Then you guys went poof." Janna added. "Just…disappeared."

"Disappeared? How?" Star narrowed her eyes; Marco's tail lashed in the background.

"We don't really know. We looked for you guys- half the town did- but nobody could find you."

"Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were really torn up." Janna saw the way Marco flinched, a movement that somehow didn't go unnoticed by Star. In an instant, Star had turned back to Marco, who only whined quietly.

"Who- who are they?" Star stared at Janna, who really, really didn't like the attention.

"Marco's parents." Jackie spoke on Janna's behalf, breaking the silence.

"So they're gone?" Star looked near tears, her mouth pulled into a tight frown.

"What? No. They're just stuck outside. The police won't let them in yet." Janna didn't want to think about what the look of shock encompassing Marco's face meant, so she pushed the thought to the edge of her mind to deal with later.

"Police?" Star looked to Marco. "You mean the humans with weapons?"

"Well, they have weapons, but they aren't here to hurt you or anyone else." Jackie reassured Star and Marco. "The police are supposed to protect us."

"You're sure?" Star questioned. "Marco said they tried to hurt you guys."

"That? They were worried about the sick people here, including you. Marco was just some giant, scary, magical beast to them, they were probably terrified." Jackie said, Janna muttering, "Definitely terrified."

"They thought he was on some rampage." Janna added, and she swore Marco rolled his eyes.

"Marco? Rampaging?" Star shook her head. "Please. He wouldn't do that."

"The police don't know that." Janna reluctantly removed her hand from Jackie's heading back to pick up the walkie talkie. "Speaking of that, we should probably tell them Star's up."

Before Janna could pick it up though, Marco snarled at her, his fur bristling.

"Marco! What was that for?" Star rounded on him, and he crouched low underneath her disapproving gaze. "They haven't even done anything."

"Marco growled and Star snapped back, "If they wanted to do something they would have done it earlier."

Another growl answered.

"Even if these police have weapons, we can just beat them, right?"

Marco rumbled this time. Janna welcomed Jackie's presence beside her again, the two of them raptly watching the squabble in front of them.

"But what about your parents. Your family? They are still here, right? Don't you want to see them?"

A low whimper escaped Marco's throat, and Star's voice went soft.

"I know how you feel, but if they're here, you should go see them."

Marco let out a breath of air that sounded like a sigh to Janna, and Star smiled.

"You don't have to, and I won't force you to. But don't you want to try?"

With that, Star turned back to Janna and Jackie, nodding.

"Hey guys." Janna radioed in, and the response was almost immediate.

"Does he have any new demands?"

"Nah, Star woke up. He'll come out, but as long as you don't take out any weapons and don't harass us."

"Fine. We'll take what we can get at this point."

The walkie talkie shut off with a click and some lingering static, and Janna sighed. "We're good guys."

Jackie, bless her soul, had already collected their bags. They were small, just things that had been passed along to them whenever Marco had let them out.

By the time the wall starts to mold back into a semblance of its original form, both Star and Marco are in their beast forms. That might end up being a problem, but Janna could worry about that when the time comes.

Per Janna's prediction, there was much stressing and general flailing when the police see not one, but two monsters following the girls.

"Stop. Where is Star Butterfly?" Star tilted her head at the mention of her full name, but Janna was too busy trying to figure out how they were going to get this by the cops to really take note.

"She's here." Jackie pointed to where Star sat, eyeing the cops with suspicion. None of them had taken out any weapons yet, but tension ran thick in the air, and it was only a matter of time before one side snapped.

"No. That's a beast, unless…?" One brave cop, probably the division leader or something to that effect spoke up.

"She hasn't been eaten. That is her." Janna said, getting a kick at how they look at her like she's an idiot even when she knew just how right she was.

"Would you mind just going back, just for a minute. So the police know you're really Star." Jackie whispered.

Star's eyes narrowed, considering while Marco growled in opposition. The two of them went back and forth for a moment, then the same light enveloped Star again.

It was only for a minute, but Janna smirked as one by one, every single officer's jaw dropped.

The next few hours were a flurry of chaos, paperwork, tears, a few close calls- none of the officers dared to approach Marco or Star in fear of the former's warning snap. The only people who managed it was Jackie, Janna, the Diaz's, and the same doctor and nurse who had examined Star before. They ensured that she was safe to go home, something the doctor said shouldn't be possible for the severity of the injury, but Star passed every vital and physical test anyways. Jann suspected it was due to the wand halves infused into both Marco and Star's chests, but her and Jackie had agreed not to pry.

By the time the situation had been completely handled, it was near dark, and Janna was ready to go home.

Thankfully, she didn't have to worry about where Star and Marco were staying for the night. It took nearly half an hour for the Diaz's to convince Marco to stay at their- and his- house for the night. They had settled on a compromise; Star and Marco would sleep outside, but in the Diaz's backyard.

Janna could tell that the Diaz's wanted to push the issue more, but just managed to restrain themselves to the fragile peace they had made.

When they part ways, both Janna and Jackie promise to visit tomorrow. They both tell Star and Marco to try and stay with the Diaz's, for everybody's sake. Star was more than happy to agree, but Marco only gave a flick of his tail, skepticism showing quite clearly.

Even still, as Janna watched the Diaz's leave, Star trotting amicably beside them while Marco trailed behind her, she somehow had a feeling that maybe this could be worked out.

* * *

Marco was standing on some sort of water. It was a dark, sickly green though, sloshing around his paws. He sniffed it, but it didn't have any scent. He lapped at it, then retched as a bitter acid nipped at his tongue.

The water stuck to his fur as he raised a paw, he tried to shake it off, but it clung to him stubbornly. He shifted, only for his human form to be similarly trapped above the strange water.

A flash of gold caught his eye, and he walked forward. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally found the source. A pool of gold, meshing against the green substance. It was beautiful, and Marco was left breathless.

He reached for the gold with his hand, smiling as it ran through his fingers. It reminded him of honey, lingering only for a moment before slowly sinking back into the pool.

Something wet slapped against his back, and Marco gasped from the sheer force. He stood up, searching for something, anything that could have delivered the blow.

The green water was rippling now, the surface undulating with greater and greater force as the moments flew by. Marco felt a tug at his foot, and his eyes shoot down to see a clawed hand, comprised of the water, clutching to his leg.

He shifted, wrestling out of its grip, snarling as the hand sunk back into the water. His teeth remain bared as he stared at the surface, waiting for the hand to reemerge. He nearly jumped out of his skin when an eye opened itself between his paws.

He backed up, each step taking him further and further from the eye that was far, far too familiar, and not in a good way. Then a smirk appeared just beneath the eye, and Marco was left scrambling.

His foot slipped, and he was sent plunging into gold. He actually relaxed as the gold surrounded him. It was comforting, warmth spreading through him, and air didn't seem to be an issue.

Just beyond its grasp though, Marco could see the green liquid. He didn't know if it was just him, but it almost seemed to be creeping closer, encroaching on the pure gold substance's domain.

The last thing Marco saw was a flicker of that same eye and smirk taunting him, too far away to reach him, but right where it could stare at him.

Marco burst to life, his claws digging into the dirt as he heaved in gulps of air. Vision of green water and eyes lingered in his mind, and he blindly searched for Star's presence, a constant source of comfort.

He froze though, as he slowly realized that Star wasn't with him. His mind started to become even hazier as the panic set in.

She had to be here, she couldn't have left. She was still recovering, she still had to heal. She couldn't have left. What if she had been taken? What if she had been hurt? How was he going to find her?

"Marco!" Star's cry snapped Marco out of the fog, and part of him wanted to cry in relief.

She came running out of the human's house, the one Marco vaguely remembered agreeing to stay by for the night.

He almost trampled Star in his rush over to her. He forgot how big their beast forms were in comparison to the human ones sometimes.

Star rubbed down the fur still standing on end, whispering whatever came to mind while Marco tried to get his breathing under control.

 _"Where were you? I got scared."_  He asked once he could talk again.

"I was with the hum- the Diaz's. They're really nice." Star grinned, her eyes shining. "They made us food!"

 _"Really?"_  Marco narrowed his eyes, whether or not he knew those humans, poison was still a very real option. At least Star had experience eliminating poisons using magic. It had taken them a couple times to learn that any food left in the forest by humans was bad.

"Really. It tastes so good." Star paused, a concerned lilt in her voice. "But they said you have to be in your human form if you want to eat it."

_"Why?"_

"Apparently it's only people food, and we can't really fit inside their house."

_"People?"_

"Oh, that's what the humans call themselves. People."

Marco snorted,  _"That's weird."_

"I know, right?" Star giggled. "But seriously, do you want some?"

_"Do I have to go in?"_

"Do you want to?"

Marco hummed, considering his options.

He didn't want to face the humans, the Diaz's. He didn't want to face the ache in his chest that showed up whenever he saw them. But he couldn't completely deny the pull in his chest to go to them, to just be near them. Maybe, maybe, he could give them a chance. A small chance, but a chance none the less.

He smiled at Star's happy cheer when he shifted. He shoved his hands into the pockets of the fresh jacket he had gotten from inside the house last night. It had been about the only thing left in the tiny space the Diaz's called a room. If anything, he was grateful to have his jacket on in place of whatever that white fabric had been.

"Come on!" Star tugged on his arm, practically dragging Marco inside. He didn't protest though, mostly because of the undeniable feeling of warmth and comfort the house brought him. The rest of his reasoning was the Star was the one dragging him, and he trusted her more than anything else in this world, but that didn't need to be said.

He had been too stubborn to admit it last night, but he wouldn't have minded sleeping inside the house. Now that was something he never imagined himself thinking, but the truth of it didn't fade. The only thing that had kept him and Star outside last night was Marco insistence, although he was almost certain Star did sleep inside for at least most of the night. It wasn't that big of a deal though, because he knew how much she had wanted this, to be near humans.

"Star, are you guys okay?" Mrs. Diaz called to them as soon as they walked through the door. "You looked pretty scared when you ran out."

"I'm fine." Star answered easily. "Marco came with me too."

"Wonderful! Now we have the whole house here." Mr. Diaz spoke, his voice wavering slightly. Marco gritted his teeth with that realization, something painful clenching inside him at the thought of Mr. Diaz being sad.

Marco tensed when Star brought him into the Diaz's line of sight, suddenly too conscious of himself to function. But he also picked up on the pain in their eyes, barely concealed by thin smiles. He didn't like hardly more than he enjoyed the similar feeling pulling him down.

"Do you want to eat?" Mrs. Diaz asked, and Marco nodded dumbly. He couldn't summon the courage or the willpower to form words right now.

Star guided him over to a 'table' where they were supposed to eat. Marco sat down, in a 'chair,' and awkwardly stared down at the food beneath him. It smelled delicious, but he wasn't exactly sure how to eat it.

It was some sort of dough, laid out to look flat and covered in a syrup of sorts. Marco poked at it with a finger, debating the safety of picking it up at all. He looked up to the Diaz's, who had already taken a bite of their food with tools of some kind.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Diaz prompted. "Does it not look good?"

Marco shook his head, but it was Star who came in to his rescue. "How… how do you eat this?"

"With a fork and a knife." Mr. Diaz looked shocked, and Mrs. Diaz put a comforting hand on his arm.

A fork? Marco looked at the tools sitting beside his food, and picked out the two that were like the ones the Diaz's were using. Somehow, his hands wrapped around them easily. Across from him, he saw Star do the same thing.

It took a few tries, but Marco thought he finally understood how to use the fork and knife. The fork was to secure food, while the knife was supposed to cut it into chewable bites. Marco didn't understand why humans didn't just make food that was bite sized so they could eat with their mouths, but to each their own.

He didn't mind eating the food, seeing as the Diaz's had eaten it the probability of it being poisoned was lower, and he was honestly starving. He had only left the old room whenever it was absolutely necessary, so he had been functioning on meager rations for the past few days. That probably accounted for why the sun was already halfway in the sky.

The process of eating was agonizingly silent, coupled with the way time seemed to stretch out and only prolong it. By the time they were all done, Marco's throat was burning with all the things he wanted to say.

He just decided to blurt them out, try and get them out of the way as quickly as possible so that he could move on.

"What should I call you?"

Both the Diaz's froze, and Marco tore his eyes away, wishing he had just stayed silent.

"What-" Mrs. Diaz swallowed. "what are you comfortable with?"

"I, I don't know." Marco spoke honestly. "Calling you Mr. and Mrs. Diaz feels wrong, but I can't think of anything else."

"Do you remember us at all." Something in Mrs. Diaz's voice broke, and Marco hated it.

He wouldn't lie to them though, so he shook his head. "You feel familiar but…"

"Maybe you could try-" Mr. Diaz paused, looking at Mrs. Diaz, who nodding in confirmation. "What if you called us mom and dad."

Marco thought it over, accepting Star's gentle touch of reassurance. Mom. Dad.

Those felt right.

But what did that mean? Marco thought he knew what it meant, and was torn between joy and regret.

"Mom?" Marco looked to Mr. Diaz, then to Mrs. Diaz. "Dad?"

'Mom' let out a choked laugh while 'Dad' dissolved into a stream of tears and giggles.

"Oh, mijo, it's the other way around. But- but-" His mom dissolved into helpless tears, and Marco couldn't help but feel like he did something wrong.

Tentatively, he stood up and inched closer to them, looking to Star for approval. She only gave him a warm smile, urging him onwards.

Marco put a hand on his mom's shoulder, and she surged up to wrap him in a hug.

Marco froze, calculating every place where their bodies were connected, calculations that only grew when his dad joined the hug. He didn't pull away, although it took him a minute to truly relax.

Before he knew it, his body was shaking, trembling with a maelstrom of emotions, all of them unnamable.

His mom and dad pull away, and it's then that Marco register the tears making their way down his face in a steady stream. He scrubbed at them, but they kept pouring down.

"I- I- wait." Marco bolted, shifting as soon as he was outside. He had to take some time to sort through his own head. He hated to admit it, but he's glad that Star didn't follow him. Sure, having her with him right now would make things feel better, but it wouldn't help him solve anything.

This was his family, in the flesh. They were still here. He had found them.

He had found them.

He had found them.

He found them. They were real.

This is who the Lizard had torn him away from.

Once his thoughts had been settled out and his resolutions confirmed, he turned, shifting just before he walked through the door. He went back to Star, back to his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone hoping for more from Star's point of view, don't worry her time will come. For now though, its going to focus more on Marco, then we'll get a few chapters focusing on Star, and by then the finale should be on its way. I'm really excited to finally get around to the final battle!


	12. A Soul You Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah... updates. I swear i'm not abandoning this! There's just a lot going on right now so updates are probably going to be once a month until winter break comes and I can catch up on everything.

Even after two weeks in the Diaz's home, Star couldn't believe just how happy she was, or just how luck they were to have ended up here. She had tried to ask Marco about how they ended up here, but his own memories seemed to be muddled as well.

The Diaz's were wonderful though, as were Janna and Jackie, who came to see them almost every day. Unfortunately, the Diaz's didn't let them leave the house, wanting them to adjust to hum- wait, people.

It's a work in progress. And Star was having the time of her life- a phrase Jackie had taught her- every step of the way.

Star loved to watch the Diaz's do their daily tasks. They both had to leave occasionally for "work" which left only her and Marco. Not like that bothered Star. She and Marco had spent the day testing out various objects laying around the home. The Diaz's faces when they opened the door had been a sight to behold.

Watching Marco with the Diaz's, with his family, was something else entirely. The Diaz's had said more than once that Star was also a part of their family. It's a nice thought, but Star knows it wasn't true. She didn't remember these people like Marco did; so clearly, they weren't family, not in the way Marco was. Sure, she could faintly recall their faces if she concentrated hard enough, but there was none of the familiarity that Marco described.

That's fine, especially when Star had so many other things to be excited about. Like today, they were going to go "shopping." Whatever that was.

"Star," Mrs. Diaz stopped her, and it was only then that Star realized she had yet again repeated the question she had been asking for almost an hour. "we'll go as soon as we fix this bed."

"I know, it's just hard to wait." Star chirped back, leg bouncing against the floor. She tried to keep herself still, as to not distract Mrs. Diaz. She only lasted a few seconds before her foot was back to tapping against the floor, accompanied by loose humming as well.

 _"Star."_ She caught Marco's growl, and turned, even if he was outside in the front yard she could still hear him crystal clear.  _"Janna and Jackie are here."_

Star bolted, probably to Mrs. Diaz's relief, jumping down the stairs two at a time. She almost knocked down Mr. Diaz, and she shot by him with a customary apology. Marco was waiting for her out front, still in his bestial form, watching over Jackie and Janna as they were swarmed by the litter of laser puppies.

The puppies were adorable, laser eyes and all- apparently Star had made them? Anyways, they had taken an immediate liking to Marco. It had been funny to watch Marco struggle to control them in the days after the Diaz's had introduced them.

They were much more obedient after Marco had lost his temper and shifted, showing the puppies his real teeth. Even now, with a low rumble, they scrambled back over to him immediately. Marco rubbed his nose against each of them as they reached him before shifting into human form himself.

And that was the truly incredible thing about their time here, Marco trusted these humans in a way Star had once thought was impossible. He could shift form to form with little hesitation, and he wasn't nearly as guarded as he had been. Star had been guarded too, naturally, but after a few days her fears had been pushed down enough for her to ignore them effectively.

This was special though, for both of them. And Star was determined to keep it that way. So, with a smile and a hop, Star welcomed them. "Hi Janna. Hi Jackie."

"Hey Star, Marco." Jackie returned, Janna just giving them each a nod.

"Hello." Marco said with a wave, now in human form.

"Ready to go shopping?" Jackie asked with a grin.

"Of course I am." Star exclaimed, giving another bounce as they walked towards the house. "I've been waiting to see all your guys' people stuff since we got here."

"We're actually going to a smaller store, just a little thrift shop I know at the edge of town." Janna slid her hand into Jackie's, something Star tilted her head at but didn't comment on. "Something that won't overwhelm ya' too much."

"We figured it might be better." Jackie explained, nervously twirling a piece of hair with her free hand.

"Thank you." Marco muttered, a small smile growing on his face. Star nodded along with him, adding, "Yeah, as long as we go anywhere I'll be happy. Besides, we don't want to scare Marco." Star grinned at that, and Marco rolled his eyes a breathy laugh escaping him.

"That's good then." Jackie said, looking more relaxed than she had since Star had first seen her. Janna seemed to nudge her slightly, a smug grin on her face. Star's gaze flicked down to their intertwined hands, and she swore that Janna squeezed Jackie's for a moment.

Still, Star would have time to ask about their hand stuff later, because once they were all inside, puppies sprawled out on the living room floor, Mr. Diaz came in twirling a pair of familiar keys around his fingers.

"Hello kids," Mr. Diaz smiled at them, tossing the keys up and catching them. "who wants to go shopping?"

"We are!" Star cheered, nearly falling off the couch in the process. Marco helped her up, but not without an amused smirk.

Mrs. Diaz strolled in, taking a sip of water from the glass she held. "Now that Marco's bed is fixed we can get to it."

"Sorry." Marco muttered, his hands going into the pockets of his jacket.

"We know your trying mijo." Mrs. Diaz reassured Marco. "There's bound to be a few bumps along the way."

Marco hummed, not looking entirely convinced. Star put one of her hands on his and squeezed it like she had seen Janna do. Marco froze for a moment before relaxing, even returning the gesture.

When Star looked up, Jackie and Janna were both talking to the Diaz's, their eyes purposefully avoiding Star. Interesting, now she had another thing to ask them about later. People were just so strange sometimes.

"Now," Mr. Diaz announced. "to the car!"

"Yes." Star jumped up, and was already standing by the car before anyone else is out the door. Marco was next, huffing slightly. Everybody else wasn't far behind, Janna chuckling when she saw Star still bouncing around.

"You might as well just run to the store at this rate." Janna gave her a sly grin, and Star turned to the Diaz's.

"Can I?"

"No Star, you'll scare people, not to mention us." Ms. Diaz smiled, looking at both Star and Marco as she continued. "Now, what is the rule when it comes to being around people."

"No beast forms." Star and Marco recited, although Marco still did it with a petulant lilt. It wasn't like they couldn't handle this world in their human forms though, so Star didn't have any issues with it. Her and Marco could take on anything together.

"Into the backseat children." Mr. Diaz playfully shooed them towards the car door. Janna and Jackie squeezed as far as they could to the farthest edge, Star, then Marco following. The touch was a little strange, but she trusted Jackie, and her trust in Marco didn't even need to be reaffirmed.

The car ride was incredible, considering Star had been building it up for the past week. She couldn't believe that something that looked like some sort of round bug could move that fast. Usually the trees only blended like that if she was sprinting in beast form, but in the car the world moved faster than she had ever seen it. They had to keep stopping at red lights for no reason other than "They were supposed to" and "Red means that cars have to stop."

Whatever. Star was fine about it, especially when the stops gave Marco a chance to rebalance himself. Although it was also fun to squish Marco into the side of the car whenever they round a corner.

By the time they arrive at the store, Star's excitement had had a little time to simmer down. That didn't stop her from practically bolting out of the car the moment they stop.

Star had to wait to enter the building though, not until the rest of the car had caught up to her.

"You never slow down." Janna commented as she walked up.

Star gave a quiet laugh. "I guess not."

Marco touched their heads together, muttering. "That's fine though." His eyes flicked back to Janna and Jackie, as if daring them to go against him.

"Yep." Jackie agreed quickly. "Janna didn't mean anything by it. She was just teasing."

Before they could continue, Mrs. Diaz came up behind them. "Ready to go inside?"

Star let out a high-pitched squeal and shot towards what she thought was the nearest entrance.

"Star, that's only for people who work here. We have to go through this door." Mrs. Diaz called out, and Star sped back.

Mr. Diaz was kind enough to open the door for them. The moment Star was inside though, she froze, her eyes widening as she took in the sights the store had to offer. There were too many things to name, from clothes to toys to pieces of beds. Star wanted to go around and look at all of them, maybe even touch most of them, but she was stopped by Marco's hand wrapping around her wrist.

"We should stay as a group." He explained after letting go. "Just in case."

"Sure." Star shrugged, it would probably be more fun if they looked around together anyways. Marco gave a small smile, and she could only return it as readily as possible, her wide grin stretching her cheeks.

True to Star's expectations, traversing the store as a group was much more fun. Janna managed to find the spookiest objects in every aisle- as the spaces between the rows of metal holding the various objects were called. Jackie found anything dealing with water or 'surf' themed.

Now they were playfully bickering over which necklace was better, a purple eye of some kind surrounded by black beads, or a little horse made of waves. Star liked watching them like this, it reminded her of the silly arguments she and Marco got into sometimes.

Star turned, wondering if Marco had found anything interesting. She stopped though, eyes widening when they didn't immediately land on him. She managed to shove back the first instinctive wave of panic, assuring herself that he was still here, she had just missed him. She scanned the area one more time, fear only growing when still Marco didn't make an appearance.

Leaving Jackie and Janna behind, Star started to retrace their path throughout the store. With every turn that wasn't hiding Marco around it, the itch to shift grew stronger. She couldn't smell him in this form. She could barely feel anything from her stone, nothing like her bestial form. She didn't even know if she could use magic in this form.

After the 12th turn, Star couldn't hold herself back anymore. Her paws slammed against the floor as she let her terrified instincts take over. She growled, sniffing the air.  _"Marco? Marco? Where are you?"_

For a few agonizing moments, Star was left with only silence. She was just about to start using her stone when she was finally answered.

 _"Star?"_  Star wanted to collapse in sheer relief, and almost did, her legs shaking.  _"What's wrong? What happened? Are you hurt?"_

 _"I- I couldn't find you."_ Star rumbled, feeling a little ashamed now that the panic had died down slightly.  _"I panicked."_

 _"Stay there. I'll find you."_ Marco's voice reverberated in her mind, and she felt safe enough to shift back. Fainter now, she heard Marco add on.  _"I'm sorry Star."_

Star closed her eyes, focusing on her now erratic breathing until it was somewhat calm again. When she opened her eyes, it was only because of a gentle brush against her arm.

She snapped her arm away, the human approximation of a snarl ripping itself from her throat.

"It's me Star." Marco murmured, keeping close enough for Star to feel his presence, but no touching. "It's okay. We're safe here. Nothing is coming. I'm safe-"

Star interrupted him, almost knocking him down as her arms wrapped around his torso. She didn't know what to call what she was doing, but she knew from experience that it was soft, and warm, and comforting. As she buried herself in the fabric of Marco's jacket, all she could think about was just how

"-you're safe." Marco finished with a contented sigh, a hand absentmindedly rubbing at Star's scalp.

"You guys okay?" Jackie's voice sounded from behind Star. Marco's arms wrapped tighter around her, but Jackie and Janna deserved to know what happened, even if she really, really, really didn't want to tell them.

She extracted herself from Marco's arms, an easier task that it seemed, given that he let her go the minute she pushed against him.

"I- um- I- kind of…" Star trailed off with a swallow. Her mouth was dry. It was one thing when the Diaz's burst into her and Marco's semi-shared room in the middle of the night, woken with the sound of snarls or screams, to find both her and Marco shifted, one trying to calm the other. It was quite another thing to willingly share the broken parts of her with her first friends outside of Marco. The part of her that raged and panicked whenever something remotely related to the Lizard appeared; the part of her that felt a little lost whenever Marco wasn't with her; the part that had made it seem like the end was near when she had turned around in somewhere new and couldn't find Marco. She didn't want to share that, no matter how much Janna and Jackie have a right to know- for putting up with various habits and triggers these past weeks, most of them unexplained.

"It's cool Star." Janna said, drawing Star's eyes up from the floor. "Not like you have to tell us right now."

"Thank you." Star whispered, trying to shake off the blinging bits of shame and fear.

Janna yawned, and Star suspected she was acting purposely nonchalant. "You wanna keep going?"

"Could we go outside?" Marco asked instead. A wide-eyed Jackie nodded- it wasn't often Marco demanded for things directly, if at all. Star smiled faintly and said, "Why not?"

Janna and Jackie led the way, their bodies still communicating in some system that Star couldn't decipher yet. Hands brushing, slight tilts and leans in one direction or the other, they all said something, but Star just didn't know exactly what. Her fruitless efforts to decipher said language proved to be a fun distraction from her past thoughts. On their way out, she sent a few stray glances in Marco's direction, but he only looked vaguely worried, eyes narrowed in thought.

Once outside, Jackie made a vague gesture towards the edge of the smooth rock path- Jackie had laughed and called it a sidewalk when Star mentioned it- and looked to everyone else for approval.

Marco sat first, releasing a breath as he did. Star sat next to him, whispering "Are you okay?"

"You shouldn't be asking me that." Marco snorted, a fond smile on his face as Janna and Jackie sat down as well. Star's feet kick at a small pebble, her hands finding their way to rest on the sidewalk as well. "But yeah, I'm just thinking about…" Marco grimaced. "…stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Star asked.

"Just some weird dreams." Marco clenched and unclenched one of his hands, like there was something on it. "It's what got me distracted inside the store."

"If you have dream issues, then Janna is the girl to go to." Jackie slid in with a smile, Janna rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah J, I can advertise myself thanks." Janna gave Jackie a playful shove before leaning in closer to Marco with a sharp smile. "I gotta whole book of dream interpretations if you wanna look. Or we could just hypnotize you and get your subconscious to tell us the answers."

"No… thank you?" Marco tilted his head, looking perplexed.

"You're never any fun." Janna chuckled. "At least when you knew about it."

"About what?"

"Let's just say there's a reason I know your house like the back of my hand." Janna proclaimed smugly, a surprised gasp escaping Jackie. "So that's why you had his house keys. You can't just sneak into people's houses Janna."

"I'll do what I want. Besides, the Diaz's like me- they should be out any moment by the way." Janna slipped on the last bit just as Jackie retorted.

"Fine, I guess I'll just do what I want then." Jackie smirked, a hand flashing out to poke Janna's side.

"H-hey." Janna choked out with smile. Jackie poked her again and again, and soon Janna was nothing but a rolling ball of shrieks and laughter. "J, J, J! Stop it, c'mon. I'm sorry."

"Are you?" Jackie prompted, but stopped in her attack.

"Depends on how cruel you are." Janna teased back, managing to sit back up and scoot to the edge of the sidewalk. "The only thing I will be sorry for is my existence."

"Jan." Jackie said with a roll of her eyes. "Don't say things like that," A hand reached out to brush against Janna's. "okay?"

"I know." Janna sighed, and suddenly both of them seemed to remember that they had two pairs of curious eyes watching their entire interaction. Jackie faltered for once, her face erupting in red. Janna had a small bit of red on her cheeks, but it was miniscule in comparison.

"What's wrong?" Star asked, only for Jackie to get a little bit redder.

"It can be embarrassing in front of people." Jackie mumbled, shrugging.

Janna leaned in closer to Star, faux whispering, "She's really just embarrassed that you heard her use a nickname, its adorable really."

"Janna?" Jackie groaned, but was grinning never the less as she put her bright red face into her hands. "This is betrayal."

"Why is it embarrassing?" Marco questioned, inching closer as well. "You love each other, there's nothing wrong with that."

"We're not really… out yet." Jackie explained lifting her head up. "Almost nobody at school knows, neither do our parents. It's weird, to do stuff like that in front of people. At least for me." She looked to Janna, who took a moment to think before answering.

"You guys are cool, so I don't really mind doing stuff in front of you, but everyone else… eh." Janna suddenly grins. "Besides, Marco was going to be the first one I told, just so I could rub it in his face a bit."

"Janna."

"Oh come on, we'd been pining after you for eight years by that point, I couldn't just, not brag to him about getting the sweetest girl ever to date me."

"Whatever." Jackie grumbled, her face dusted with red once more.

"Date?" It was Star's turn to question them, wracking her own mind to try and find a definition for it.

"You know, when two people are together, romantically." Janna explained, only for Star to get more confused.

"Romantically?" Marco echoed Star's evident confusion. "Isn't love just love?"

"I guess, but there's different types of love." Jackie said. "Romantic, family, friendship-"

"- a love of the dark arts." Janna added on, and Jackie sighed.

"Sure, a love of the dark arts, but I think the point is that just because you love someone doesn't mean you want to be with them."

"Be with them?" Star asked. "Aren't you already with someone if you love them?"

"No, it's like, kissing and holding hands and other stuff. That's what people who are in love do, generally." Janna stated. "But everyone is different about a relationship."

"Is that why you guys hold hands and have that weird language? Because you're together?" Star leans back a little bit, considering Janna and Jackie.

"Yeah- but weird language, what?" Janna answered, and Marco huffs a little bit in amusement.

"You lean towards each other most the time, and you hold hands and sometimes squeeze them. I can't figure out what it means." Star brushed a bit of her hair out of her face, making sure she could see their response clearly.

"Oh, it's nice to know that Janna is just there, most of the time, and it's nice to know that I'm there for her too." Jackie leaned against Janna, the dark-haired girl looking significantly embarrassed. Before Star could ask any more questions though, Mrs. Diaz came out from the store.

"Good, you're all here. I was worried I had lost you for a second." Mrs. Diaz sighed. "But Raphael just had to look at their Christmas lights."

"They're pretty." Mr. Diaz, freshly emerged with several bags of small glass circles hung on green wire.

"It's September." Mrs. Diaz groaned, putting a hand on her temple. "Why do we even need Christmas lights?"

"We have to be prepared." Mr. Diaz insisted, walking towards the car. "You kids ready to go?"

"Yeah." Janna stood, offering Jackie a hand, who took it readily.

Star looked to Marco, only to find him already standing and offering her a hand of his own. Star took it with a smile, jumping to her feet. "The store was fun, but going back sounds nice."

"Okay then." Mrs. Diaz said, strolling towards the car herself.

On the car ride home, Marco had his face pressed against the glass, staring out the window. When Jackie and Janna became sidetracked in their own conversation, Star got closer, whispering. "Are we, together? Like how Jackie and Janna are?"

"I don't think so." Marco murmured back, moving a bit of his weight to lean on Star slightly. "Do you want to be."

"Maybe? I don't know." Star gave a minute sigh. "It's still kind of confusing."

"It doesn't really matter if we're 'together,' right?" Marco smiled softly. "So this is fine."

"Yeah," Star agreed. "why do we have to be anything but just us?"

"Exactly." Marco hummed, one arm coming around Star's shoulders.

Star leaned into the touch, a relaxed grin spreading across her cheeks.

* * *

Marco growled, his fur bristling as he tried to shake the feeling of drowning that persisted. The green liquid kept coming back, except now there was no gold to save him in his dreams, leaving him to drown nightly.

He rose to his feet, the night breeze brushing against his fur. He had come outside in advance; the last time he tried to sleep inside these nightmares had resulted in a broken bed. He didn't mind sleeping outside, it was comfortable even, if only these cursed dreams would stop following him.

Something in his chest clenched suddenly, and Marco was forced to bend over, hacking out raspy coughs. Pressure was building up in his chest, around his stone, and travelling up.

He gave one final cough, something rushing out of his jaws and smacking against the grass with a squelch. His mouth was burning from the remnants of whatever he had just coughed up.

He got near it, sniffing. A low sizzling sound accompanied it, the grass it had landed on dissolving away. As Marco finally, got a good look at the substance though, he took a step back, then another, and one more for good measure.

It was- whatever had come out of him- it was just like what he had spent the past weeks drowning in. He looked down to his stone, and found its usual yellow appearance overtaken by a green hue.

Something was wrong here, something was very, very wrong.

_You'll just corrupt her in the end_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will never end on a happy note, ever. But in slightly happier news I actually drew something for this scene for inktober (I always knew it was going to happen I just didn't know when) and that is here 
> 
> https://marleymaely1234.tumblr.com/post/166028796907/inktober-day-3-poison-this-goes-along-with-my
> 
> Also does anybody know how to hyperlink on here? I would really like to know :) 
> 
> Anybody want to talk about those new Star episodes? Because they were amazing!!!!


	13. I Lost It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Otherwise knows as the chapter where things go wrong XD 
> 
> But this one is really short, and its more of a bridge chapter than anything. Next chapter things finally start getting to a head.

When Marco walked into the kitchen later, acid still burned on his tongue. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. It stung on its way down his throat, but it washed out the taste of whatever that stuff was.

It only took another moment before his stomach started to churn, and he was heaving over the sink. For a moment, he feared it was more of the green liquid, but thankfully it was just normal vomit. Marco narrowed his eyes at the green flecks that showed themselves though.

But then he was heaving again, emptying whatever was left in his stomach. He turned on the water and washed all of it down the drain, then got another glass of water.

At least this time, his stomach was content enough to keep it down.

Next, Marco went to the bathroom, turning on the light so he can inspect his stone again. The green was still there, although under the clearer lighting Marco noticed that it was only at the bottom half of

Okay. So the drowning dreams were somehow connected to his stone, he was coughing up some strange liquid, and his stone was turning green.

But what could he do about it?

He heard shuffling outside the bathroom door, slippers hitting the floor quietly. He zipped up his jacket quicker than he ever had, hiding his stone before he poked his head out.

His mom- words that still felt new and exciting every time he thought or said them- was in the kitchen, opening the fridge.

Marco snuck out as sneakily as he could, but his mom turned her head anyways.

"Marco?" She peered at him, turning to a nearby clock. "It's three in the morning. Why are you up?"

"…Couldn't sleep." Marco offered his weak excuse.

His mom gave an understanding sigh. "Do you think you'll be able to get back to sleep?"

"Yeah." Marco muttered, because he knew she would probably offer to stay up with him if he said anything else. He didn't want her to tire herself out on his behalf.

"Let me know if you can't." His mom smiled, and Marco tried his best to return it before waving goodnight to her and slipping back upstairs to his room.

Star was still sleeping in her bed, and Marco tiptoed across the floor as he made his way over to his own bed. He set himself down on it, looking out onto the night sky.

There were no stars, he noticed with a snort, the clouds had covered them all up. For some reason, the sight makes him want to chuckle.

* * *

When Star began to stir, Marco was left racing to make it look like he had just woken up. He ruffled his hair, pulling his blankets down as he leapt to his feet

Star sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Marco?"

"I'm here." Marco responded, forcing down his own yawn. He checked again to make sure his hoodie was still zipped up completely.

"Morning." Star said with another yawn, stretching. Marco had to smother his responding yawn, only half succeeding. "You okay?"

Of course Star would notice something was off. Marco smiled, "I'm fine. You?"

"Yeah. No nightmares." Star grinned, and Marco couldn't help but return it. He opened his mouth, but closed it again, not knowing what he had been about to say.

"And hey, we have a pretty relaxing day, right?" Star added on, hopefully missing Marco's action. "We can just rest after yesterday."

"Sounds good." Marco said, his smile growing a little bit smaller.

Star stopped, gazing at him. And he already knew what she was going to ask. Before she could though, his dad shouted. "Star? Marco? Breakfast."

Marco slipped out of the room, making his way downstairs before Star could stop him. He should tell her, he knew that. But for once, they were safe, protected. This may be nothing, and he didn't need to go around disrupting their peace here over something small.

His stomach is growling hungrily even before he can smell the food, and he was reminded that he hadn't bothered to eat much dinner last night. He went to get the silverware the moment he entered the kitchen, fulfilling both his desire to be helpful and to make sure Star couldn't ask him any more questions.

His dad had been kind enough to make eggs for all of them, his mom adding the bacon. They had already loaded the plates and gotten glasses of milk. As Marco sat down the silverware, Star strolled into the kitchen, having thrown on her dress.

"Good morning you two. Did you sleep well?" His mom asks, giving him a knowing glance.

"Yep." Star chirps, Marco simply nodding. Marco slid into his predetermined seat at the table.

Breakfast passed with Marco gulping down his food while waiting for Star to break the easy banter with questions. Hastily excuses made in order to get him out of there and away from Star's knowing eyes ended it.

Now he paced the length of their room, awaiting the moment where Star walked in and confronted him. He should tell her, tell her like he always did and they could get through this together.

But their peace, their sanctuary. Star woke up with less nightmares each passing day, and Marco couldn't be the one to hold her back- he wouldn't. There was still a chance this could all blow over. He could tell her once it reached that point.

"Marco. Are you sure you're okay?" Star's voice sounded from behind him, and Marco nearly jumped out of his jacket.

"I'm fine Star." Marco said, putting a hand over hers. "Seriously."

"Marco." Star hissed, her voice low. "I know something is wrong." She looked down to her chest, her free hand touching her own stone. "I can feel it. Why won't you just tell me?"

"Because there's nothing wrong." Too late, Marco realized his voice was rising, surging to the edge of breaking in two. His chest was roiling with something, and his stone pulsed.

"I thought you trusted me." Star squeezed his hand, staring up at him with pleading eyes. "So why won't you tell me?"

"I trust you." Marco snapped back instinctively, and Star's face twisted.

"No. You don't." Star gritted out, tugging her hand out of Marco's grip. "You won't talk to me. And- maybe, maybe you don't want to. And that's fine- but just tell me something is wrong."

"I-" Marco looked at Star, his stomach twisting itself into knots. His stone pulsed again. "I can't. There's nothing wrong. As of now."

"Fine." Star looked past him, resigned. "See you later."

Somehow, Marco wished they had just shouted at each other like they had seen other humans do. Maybe that would have hurt less than watching Star walk away from him silently.

He deserved it. But Star didn't deserve to have him drag her back even more.

Paws slammed into the wood floors of their room, and Marco scratched at nothing. His stone beat in time to his heartbeat now. And his chest was heaving for some fresh air. He felt trapped in here now, suffocated by the walls and furniture. Shifting back, Marco headed for the backyard.

Marco entertained himself with the puppies, letting their yapping and playful barks distract him. He stared at a random patch of grass, only half-listening to the sounds of play around him.

His stomach is twisting, tying itself up inside him. One of the puppies jumped over near the back door, and Marco growled unknowingly, sending the puppy scurrying away.

He almost apologized to the puppy, but stopped himself at the last moment, remembering that Star would hear him if he did.

Instead, he whimpered and ducked his head, tucking it between his paws. The puppies continue to frolic around him, ignorant to his sorrow.

Star's voice still rang in his ear, weighing his chest down as her words stormed inside of him.

He felt empty, knowing if he went back inside Star probably wouldn't want to see him after what he said- or didn't say. His claws dug into the ground as his snout twisted into a snarl.

Star didn't have a right to be angry. He wasn't in the wrong. How dare-

Marco shook his head, the snarl falling away from his face. His head was pounding, and he shook it to try and clear it. Pressure was building up in his chest, and his throat burned as hacked up another pile of the liquid.

With a rumble, Marco moved away from the sizzling remains, herding the puppies with him. He snapped at one who got too close to it, and licked her comfortingly after she was a safe distance away.

His head felt kind of fuzzy now, but Marco blamed that on his lack of sleep. He sat, tail curling him as he pawed the ground. One of the puppies took this chance to lay down on the fluffy fur of his tail, more and more taking after the first example.

Part of Marco wanted to rumble at them, but it was nice having them there. One puppy snuggled in close to the base, and Marco's head dropped, an almost relaxed smile quirking the edges of his mouth up. He looked back at the nine puppies that were now using him as a bed and sighed. Carefully, he lowered himself back to the ground, laying his paws out in front of him.

It wasn't long before he closed his eyes, nodding away slowly. He peeled his eyes open for a moment- what if Star came to talk to him or-

His eyes fell shut again, and he couldn't find the strength to open them.

* * *

He's drowning.

His paws- arms- whatever, flailed uselessly, looking for any sort of purchase. There was nothing, no light, no land, no safety.

It was only him and the liquid.

Something latched onto his leg, and a rush of bubbles escaped him as he's dragged down. He thrashed, snapping and snarling, but there was nothing around his leg for him to see.

He sunk farther and farther- but where was he going? And why was he fighting an unwinnable battle?

He growled at himself. It didn't matter where he was going, all that mattered was that there's something down there he could feel pulsing. Beating and shifting below him, it called to him, but there was nothing but a promise of malice in its offer, an unspoken cry of darkness.

His stone thrummed, and he looked to see that it was glowing bright green, save for a tiny part at the top.

That something called out again, and now Marco could see a familiar eye start to open.

He didn't want this.

He could never want this.

His eyes snapped open, and he was already snarling as his head shot up.

Already, his chest was surging. He leapt to his feet, dislodging the puppies. His throat burned once more, and his eyes clamp shut as he retched.

Something changed in the air around him, but he was too occupied with the burning in his throat to do anything about it.

It's only after he heaved up another blob of liquid he registered scents around him, the distinctly reptilian scents. He growled, sparks popping between his teeth, and jumped away.

Or at least, he would have, if something heavy hadn't slammed onto his neck and locked shut around it. Needles pricked at his skin where the collar sat, and his vision started to swim. He could only faintly hear the puppies yapping at him, and feel the hand's gripping him even less so. He tried to run, only for his paws to fall from under him.

"I told you." A cold voice slipped through his fogged senses, and Marco balked. He had to try and reach Star; the Lizard was here for them. He staggered to his feet, only to be shoved down. "Still so strong willed. Take him back. We can leave the other one."

Marco growled, clinging desperately to the last dregs of consciousness. He contended himself slightly with the fact that they weren't after Star anymore though. If anything, at least she would be safe.

Colors dance before his eyes, wedged open by frigid claws. "Good," The Lizard muttered. "You're almost ready."

But as Marco finally let go, slipping back into darkness, he couldn't help but think that he had never gotten a chance to apologize.


	14. Who Cares About Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhhhh we're nearing the end now folks, the whole story is gonna be wrapped up before august and im so excited!!!!!
> 
> side note i won't be posting this chapter on fanfiction.net for another few weeks because im feeling really salty at one guy who harassed me a bit over updates and story spoilers :))))

Star laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She thought about going back down, to try and talk things out with Marco, but the idea was immediately shot down. It hurt, knowing that Marco refused to talk to her, didn’t trust in her like he always used to. Maybe she had been too harsh, but she didn’t understand why Marco couldn’t have just told her and then they figure it out together like they always do. 

 

Star turned over, grabbing a pillow and pulling at it with her hands. She growled as she tugged on the edges, making sure that as much as she let her frustrations out, she didn’t damage what Mrs. Diaz had given her. 

 

“Star?” Star dropped the pillow, looking in surprise at Mr. Diaz, who was now standing at the doorway. “I heard you and Marco.” 

 

“I’m sorry.” Star muttered, looking aside. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked, and Star furrowed her eyebrows. Her gut instincts were telling her to say no, but the part of her that was still in turmoil over seeing a side to Marco she didn’t know said otherwise. 

 

“I don’t know.” Star admitted. “Maybe.” 

 

“Okay.”  Mr. Diaz said. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you want to.” 

 

“How did you do that?” Star blurted out, sitting up in the bed. “You must know I’m not feeling well...why didn’t you keep asking if something was wrong?”

 

Understanding dawned in Mr. Diaz’s eyes, and the sight of it only served to deepen Star’s confusion. “Because you didn’t want me to. You can’t make someone talk to you or do what you want if they don’t want to.” 

 

“But if they tell you what’s wrong, then you can do something for them.” 

 

“But if you push too hard they might leave.” Mr. Diaz chided her, and Star’s head lowered in shame. “You have to look at things from their point of view, why they maybe can’t tell you at the moment. There are other ways to help someone even if you don’t know why they’re hurting. Hugs are one of them.” With that, Mr. Diaz walked forward and tentatively wrapped his arms around Star’s shoulders. 

 

Star had become much more accustomed to touch from others who weren’t Marco, slowly, living with Marco’s family had almost forced her to adjust. Small touches were just a part of how Marco’s parents lived together. Star was willing to accept that, as long as it wasn’t too much at one time. This though...was nice. A little overwhelming, if Star was being honest, but she can see how the warmth of Mr. Diaz’ arms wrapped around her frame could be comforting. 

 

Star inched away, the warmth becoming too strong, and Mr. Diaz relinquishes his hold immediately. 

“I- I think I get it.” Star mumbled, swallowing. 

 

“It’s okay.” Mr. Diaz reassured her. “Concern isn’t a bad thing, and some people need a little pushing. Marco shouldn’t have been as snappy either- I need to talk to him next actually.” 

 

Star opened her mouth to say something, but then there’s a tugging in her chest, the feeling of being turned upside down as she fell but she wasn’t moving at all. Magic crackles in the nearby area, sending the hair on the back of her neck standing and a growl building at the back of her throat. The smell confirmed it a moment after and then Star was racing, scrabbling to try and find Marco find him and tell him the lizard was here-  _ the lizard was here _ . 

 

Star hated the small house, despised the stairs and the turns it took to reach the doors, as she scrabbled past the kitchen. 

 

She bursted out into the back yard, shifting the moment her feet hit the grass as a flood of lip curling scents washed over her all at once. The lizard was here- had been here. 

 

And Marco was nowhere to be seen. 

 

No. No, no, no, no, no. Star didn’t want to believe it. She couldn’t believe it. Marco couldn’t have been taken. He was strong...but he wasn’t as strong as the Lizard. Neither of them were when they were on their own. 

 

Star howled, echoing her rage and grief to the sky.  Part of her hoped that Marco would howl back. She waited, faintly hearing Mr. and Mrs. Diaz scramble out behind her. 

 

“Star, Star!” Mrs. Diaz shouted, momentarily snapping Star out of her panicked reverie. “What happened?” 

 

_ “He’s gone.”  _ Star croons, her voice edging closer and closer to frantic as she continues.  _ “The Lizard- it was the Lizard- he did this, he did this. He has Marco. He has Marco. I have to find him- I have to.”  _

 

Star raced through the backyard, skirting around the puppies and leaping over the fence. She howled again, desperation growing as she realized she couldn’t feel anything from her stone. Her paws scrape against rough ground, but she could care less. Cars honked at her, and she summoned her wings so she could take off.  

 

Star howled, her anguish morphing into rage as it tapered off. 

 

The Lizard took him. Her constant companion, her partner, her friend, her other half- the Lizard took him from her. Who knew what the Lizard was doing to Marco, what he would do to Marco. 

 

Star landed on the ground, claws tearing into the dirt beneath her feet. Tears poured down her cheeks, soaking into her fur. She snarled to herself, trying to wrack her mind for what she could do to find Marco. There had to be a way, some way to get to where Marco was.

 

Her head shot up, eyes alighting as she recalls the pair of scissors Marco had, sitting inside their room. The scissors that thrummed of subtle magic, and had let the Queen and the other beings crawl through a tear in the sky. She could use those to find the Lizard. 

 

Star leaped back into the air, straining her wings as much as she could. She shifted halfway into landing, her hands and feet hitting the ground before she sprinted inside. As she barged into the living room though, her feet freeze, her breath knocked out of her at the sight. 

 

It’s her. The woman. The one Star wanted to be close too. The one she had gotten injured protecting. She was here, sitting across from Mr. and Mrs. Diaz. 

 

The woman’s eyes land on Star, and  a watery smile came to her face as she stood. She took a step towards Star, arms outstretched, but Star had to find Marco. 

 

Star ducked around the woman, throwing herself up the stairs and into their room. Star growled to herself, “Where are they- they have to be here somewhere. They can’t be gone-” 

 

At last, she saw the glimmer of metal sticking out from under Marco’s bed. Star latched onto it, holding up the scissors triumphantly.  

 

“Star.” Mrs. Diaz’s voice made Star turn, seeing all three adults by the doorway. The walls surrounding Star seemed to shrink, and she squared her shoulders in defiance. 

 

“I have to find Marco.” 

 

The woman’s face paled, and she leaned back. However, Mr. Diaz stepped forwards, and this time it’s Star who stepped back, shaking her head. “You don’t get it- this is the Lizard. He’ll hurt Marco- trap Marco- he already hurt-” Star had to stop, bitter tears sliding down her cheeks again. Her voice trembled. “I won’t let the Lizard hurt Marco again. I promised- I have to-” 

 

“Star.” The woman- the one whose pull Star was still fighting- leans forward. “I know. Come back with me and I can help you find him.” 

 

Star narrowed her eyes, scanning the tired lines underneath the woman’s eyes, the way her clothed shoulders sag and her hands shook. Star remembered how fiercely the woman had fought against the Lizard. 

 

“...What’s your name?” Star asked tentatively, wondering- hoping- she would hear the same words that Mrs. Diaz told Marco all those weeks ago. 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz moved, giving the woman room. The woman nervously wringed her hands as she speaks. “Star, you still don’t recognize me, do you?” 

 

Star slowly shook her head, admitting. “But I want to.” 

 

The woman took a deep breath, steadying her hands. “My full name is Moon Butterfly. I’m the Queen of Mewni.” The woman’s pause gave time for Star’s eyes to blow wide, nostalgia hitting her in the gut. 

 

“I- you- I know you- I know I know you from somewhere, sometime.” Star dragged a lock of hair through her fingers, emotions threatening to overwhelm her in their cacophony. 

 

“Star, I know this is sudden, but you need to know.” The woman smiled, slow and soft and warm. “I’m your mother.”

 

Star blinked, the words washing over her. For some reason, there was just acceptance settling comfortably. Star furrowed her brows, searching for the joy the elation, the tears. Those feelings were there, given from the way her eyes burned, but even more consuming was the need to find Marco. 

 

Star looked up, at the expecting eyes and the awaiting arms. Star swallowed. “Help me find him. Please.” 

 

The woman- Star’s mother- opened her mouth, but Mrs. Diaz puts a hand on her arm, and Star’s mother stopped. Star’s mother sighed, “Can you come back with me to Mewni? We can find Marco from there.” 

 

Star caught herself from nodding immediately, looking to Mr. and Mrs. Diaz. Both of which looked pained, fresh tears running down their cheeks. 

 

“We’re coming with.” Mrs. Diaz announced, setting her foot down firmly. “We aren’t going to sit back a second time.” 

 

“He’s our son, it’s our responsibility too.” Mr. Diaz added. 

 

Her mother- words that still felt foreign to her mind, fresh and new and exhilarating- responded in a clipped tone. “I’m sorry but it’s clear that you two cannot come. Toffee is no human. You two aren’t equipped to deal with the danger M-marco faces.” 

 

“There has to be something we can do.” Mrs. Diaz insisted. 

 

“Stay here then. If you’re there you’ll only be another thing for Toffee to target.” Her mother bowed her head. “I’m truly sorry. I know what helplessness feels like, but you can only do what you are capable of doing, and I am sure you have helped them both to the best of your abilities.” 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Diaz look at each other, turning around to have a whispered conversation. When they turned back Mrs. Diaz was gritting her teeth. 

 

“We know we aren’t good with all the magic and the monster fighting.” Mr. Diaz sniffled. “And we would probably get in the way.” 

 

“Still,” Mrs. Diaz slid in. “We expect both of you back in 2 days tops, or else we go after him ourselves.” She turned to Star, voice much gentler, “Would you mind letting us have those scissors?” 

 

“This would generally be considered illegal.” Her mother said, and Mr. and Mrs. Diaz tensed. “But just this once.”

 

Star relaxed slightly as the tension drained from the atmosphere. Slowly, Star walked towards Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, first holding out the scissors for them to take. Then, Star gently placed a hand on both Mr. and Mrs. Diaz’s arms, the first contact she initiated since coming here. “Thank you- thank you so much.” 

 

Tears slipped down Star’s cheeks, as she smiled. Slowly, she let the Diaz’s go, watching as her mother silently walks to the living room.  Star drifted behind her, wondering how she should act. Her mother seemed angry, something that made Star want to pull back, but at the same time- now that the worry had receded slightly with the promise of help- her curiosity had returned, as well as the warm feeling in her chest that pulled her towards her mother. 

 

Her mother pulled out a pair of scissors, far more elegant than the ones Star held, and cuts a tear through the sky. Her mother takes a step into it, looking back at Star expectantly. “We have to go through here to get to Mewni.” 

 

Star glared at the tear for a few more seconds before shifting into her beast form, scissors in her mouth. Her mother flinched, looking guarded, but when Star tilted her head in question her mother simply walked through the tear, vanishing completely. 

 

Star turned back to the Diaz’s one last time, crooning softly.  _ “Thank you. I swear I’ll bring Marco back to you.”  _

 

Star then put one foot in the tear, magic flowing over her fur. Star hesitated for a moment, then she recalled Marco’s face, trapped and needing help, and dove in. 

When Star emerged, her hackles rose growling at the smell of magic that floated around her. This place was unfamiliar in every aspect of the word. Tapestries lined the walls, which shone and glimmered. The place looked...fancy, as Janna would have put it.  

 

Star took a hesitant step forward, her paws smudging dirt against the ground. The ceiling was so far up, Star felt like something insignificant, tiny. She didn’t like the feeling. 

 

“Here Star, this way.” Her mother waved a hand, and Star followed slowly. She found herself jumping at shadows now, hoping wherever her mother was taking her was a way to find Marco. 

 

A human darted out from around a corner, and Star snapped, teeth flashing just in front of their face. With a screech, the human ran off, leaving Star to look after them regretfully. 

 

“Star, you need to detransform. Go back to being mewman.” Her mother ordered, and Star narrowed her eyes. 

 

_ “Why?”  _ Star asked.  _ “And where can we find Marco?”  _

 

“I can’t understand you.” Her mother says back and Star slowly shifted back. 

 

“Where can we find Marco?” 

 

“We have to wait for the Magic High commission to return. Then we can track down Toffee.” Her mother kept walking, forcing Star to keep up. 

 

“We need to find him now.” Star gritted out, fingers clenched. 

 

“I cannot track Toffee down on my own.” Her mother admits, sounding angry with herself. “I need the High Commission. And even if I was, we cannot go in there unprepared.” 

 

Her mother turned another corner, and Star had to pause in her refute, staring. Its larger than the other rooms they had passed, two thrones in the back end of it. Walking in, Star felt stifled, trapped, in a way she never had before. It was different then how the Lizard had imprisoned her. There were no bars, no tests or monsters, but it was a feeling in her chest, the suspicion that she wouldn’t ever be good enough- but good enough for what? 

 

Her mother greeted the man sitting on one of the thrones looking bored. “River- River look.” 

 

The man- one that brought a surge of joy to Star’s chest- raised his eyes and gasped. Star ducked her head away from his gaze, it burned too brightly for her. 

 

The man leapt off the throne and raced to Star, arms open. Star backed up, growling in warning as she shifted. The man paid it no mind, wrapping his arms around her neck. The touch was too much- too much and all Star could think about was the Lizard and hands touching her, hurting her. Star shook her head, throwing the man off. Once down, Star snarled at him, stone glowing. 

 

“Stop! Stop it Star.” Her mother snapped, and Star turned her bared teeth on her mother before her mind quiets. Star’s lips fell, padding towards the man.  _ “I’m sorry. Just please don’t do that.”  _

 

“Oh its fine dear, I just didn’t realize Star had gotten so…” The man trailed off, looking at Star. “wolfish?”  

 

_ “How do you know me?”  _ Star rumbled back, although in her heart, she’s praying that her mother will utter the same word Marco used to greet Mr. Diaz. 

 

“Star, this is your father.” Her mother introduces, and Star can’t help but give a happy wag of her tail. Still, the thought brings her back to Marco once more, and she shifts. 

 

“When can we find Marco.” Star doesn’t put it as a question, standing her ground. Her mother turned, eyes narrowed and lips pursed tight. 

 

“When the Magical High Commission returns.” Moon growled back. “You are the princess of-” 

 

Star blinked, not comprehending. “Princess?” 

 

“Moon, darling.” Her father interrupted, coming to stand beside her mother and take a hand in his. “What in Glossaryck’s beard is going on?” 

 

Her mother sighed, moving to the thrones, loosely tugging River along. “I have a lot to explain to both of you.” 

 

Star treaded behind the two, choosing to stand and pace as her mother began. As the story unfolded though, Star found herself slowing down, watching with wide eyes as pieces she never knew existed suddenly clicked into place. 

 

Star had been a princess here, future ruler of the land. She had gotten a wand and sent to Earth, where she met Marco and the Diaz’s. Apparently they had been living as friends until the Lizard kidnapped them. 

 

Star didn’t realize she was backing up until she nearly tripped down the stairs. Her parents look up, eyes glistening with unshed tears. The pieces were falling further and further into place, too fast- it's all too fast. Her head is pounding, ears ringing with static. She gritted her teeth, not noticing the scissors drop to the ground as she covered her ears. She can’t shut it out though. Voices and images flashed before her eyes, swirling and twisting and melding in a way that she couldn’t understand. The Diaz’s had never told them this, not in full. Now that she thought about it Star realized she never asked the Diaz’s where she had come from, only about the time spent on Earth. 

 

“Star?” Her mother reached out, and Star flinched so hard she fell down the stairs. By the second time she hit the ground, fur slid against the floor and claws scrabble desperately. 

 

This time, when Star ran, she didn’t know why she was running or where to. She crashed around the corners, accidentally knocking down vases of flowers and various decorations as she does. 

 

The hallways and ceilings seemed to close in on her as she struggled to find some exit, some escape, so that she could go back into the outside world where things were normal and her head didn’t feel as if it were about to burst. 

 

She reached out to try and find Marco, expecting the warmth of his presence to still be tangible to her stone. But as she skidded to a stop, the realization hit her tenfold. 

 

She sat down where she stood, ignoring the panicked sounds and footsteps rushing away from there. She stared at the ground, pulling her now knees into her chest as she sobbed. 

 

She clutched her knees tighter, feeling the fabric of the dress and trying to ground herself in that. It didn’t work all that well. Her head was still spinning and honestly she wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Marco was taken. Star had found her family and their shared history in full.  Star was still alone though, her only comfort being the familiarity of her parent’s forms and the promise that they would help her bring Marco back. 

 

“Hello Star. It’s been a while.” A nasally voice peeked out from the plant beside her, revealing the little blue man that had spoken to them all that time ago. 

 

“H-hello.” Star mumbled into her knees, sniffling still even after the sobs themselves had quieted. 

 

“Where’s Marco? Enjoying some alone time I presume.” The blue man talked frankly, his preciseness giving Star some semblance of order in her mind. 

 

Star shook her head, and the blue man pauses. 

 

“Toffee.” The blue man muttered softly, taking a moment to awkwardly pat Star’s head. “Are you going to get him back?” 

 

“Of course I am.” Star snarled back, narrowing her eyes. “I have to get him back.” 

 

“What are you waiting for then?” The blue man asked, you’d be better off doing something rather than crying. 

 

“I- I can’t feel him in my stone anymore and it doesn’t make sense. Also apparently I have a family and I’m supposed to be a princess?” Star rushed out the words, her head getting foggy with even the mention of the events. “I just- I don’t understand anything right now.” 

The blue man made a small clicking noise with his tongue, sounding disappointed. “She would tell you everything at once. Regardless, I never really understood why you wanted to know who you had been. What does it matter? You’re a stranger in your old life, for better or for worse.” 

 

Star considered the words, speechless. Before Star could think of a response, she can hear her mother’s voice calling. Star looked back up to where the blue man was floating. “What’s your name?” 

 

“Glossaryck.” Glossaryck states matter of factly. “And you can trust that the High Commission will be here tomorrow to locate him.” 

 

With that, Glossaryck vanished into thin air, leaving Star alone in her huddle until her Mother caught sight of her and came sprinting. 

 

“Star, are you alright?” Her mother asked, hands hovering just above wanting to touch but not going all the way. 

 

Star started to nod but stopped, sighing. In a small voice she said, “I don’t know. I’m happy to know everything and I’m so happy to see you and Dad it's just...a lot, and I can’t stop thinking about Marco.” 

 

Her mother didn’t say anything, but Star could see the way she tenses. “What is it?” Star asked, and her mother drew back. 

 

“It’s nothing for you to worry about. I can show you somewhere you can rest alone, so you don’t get overwhelmed.” Her mother stood turning away. Star didn’t move though, preferring the way she was now. 

 

“Later?” 

 

“Star, you cannot be seen. If word gets out that the princess has returned and-” Her mother cut herself off, turning away. “Just come with me please.” 

 

“...Fine.” Star pushed herself to her feet, shifting. She was more secure in this form, more grounded. She heard her mother sigh but ignored it. They passed a few more people on their way to wherever they were going, and halfway there her father joined them. 

 

“Uh, how’s it going darlings?” He flickered his gaze between the two, unsure. 

 

“Fine. I’m showing Star to her old rooms.” Her mother answered in place of her, and Star grumbled her discontentment with being spoken over. They couldn’t understand her though and Star wasn’t going to shift anytime soon. 

 

They finally reached an elegant set of doors, and Star tilted her head as her mother opened them. “This is your room. Please don’t leave it while you look like that.” 

 

Star lashed her tail, and somehow it’s her father who understood her message. “Star, it’s only for your own good. If anyone saw a monster running around the castle they would panic. And we don’t really know how to explain this to anyone.” 

 

Star growled back, claws digging as far into the floor as they could. She wasn’t going to be trapped again. 

“Star, if you cause too much of an uproar the High Commission and I will never be able to help you find Marco.” Her mother said, and Star blinked, hurt spreading in her chest. Her mother was using Marco as leverage, nothing more than a bargaining chip. The fact stung at Star, giving her eyes a glower and her lips an upturned tilt. She remembered her comment to Marco, months ago, about how she knew families that weren’t nice, and started to wonder if she was talking about her own. 

 

“Please. Star.” Her mother gestures to the room. “I want to find him as much as you do. We can only do that if you stay in here for tonight and tomorrow, just until the High Commission shows up.”    
  
_ “Fine. I’ll go in for now. But I’m leaving the room as soon as I want to.”  _ Star lashed her tail, huffing. She supposed her parents thought she was outright agreeing, but she didn’t have the patience to truly argue this, so let them believe what they will.

 

Star marched inside the room, looking around. The doors shut behind her, and she turned to see that neither of her parents had stayed with her. The stinging in her chest grew stronger, edging dangerously close to distrust. Star wished the Diaz’s were here, or Jackie or Janna, someone who would truly listen to her instead of simply trying to hide her and keep her out of the way. 

 

They wouldn’t have used Marco’s safety as a bargaining tool.

 

Star looked out the wide windows lining the far wall, observing the tiny houses below and the even smaller people walking between them. She stared for a bit, her mind racing before turning to pace. She paid no mind to the furniture surrounding her, focused instead on the debate that had sprung up in her mind once more. 

 

Should she try to find Marco on her own? She needed to find him soon, before the Lizard did anything permanent. But her mother had a point about having backup. It would be nice to not be alone when facing the Lizard. The High Commission was going to be here tomorrow. That should be enough time for Star to come up with a plan to get Marco on her own. 

 

It was settled then. Star would give the High Commission until the end of tomorrow to come, and then she would go on her own. 

 

A part of her scolded her; how could she just leave her parents so soon? But Star wouldn’t be able to sleep easy until she knew Marco was safe, parents or not. Besides, she would come back to them. 

 

Star concentrated, her pacing picking up speed. Now she just had to think of a plan.

* * *

Marco blinked into consciousness, his head foggy. He tried to rise, but he stumbled on his way up, slamming his head into a metal wall. 

 

“Welcome back Marco. Really, it’s been too long.” That cold voice pierced Marco’s ears, and he moved to snarl. However bile flooded the back of his throat, and he choked up a pile of the green liquid. Another pile came up, and then a third. By the time it’s done Marco was heaving for air, paws dragging against the ground. 

 

“You should be done coughing up that stuff soon. Although it is an interesting side effect.” The Lizard was talking, but Marco couldn’t quite see or smell where the Lizard was. He took a step forward, only to then register the weight hanging around his neck. 

 

Marco glared at the silver collar, trying to summon his stone to break it. However, his head was still foggy and no matter how hard he closed his eyes and concentrated, he couldn’t push through it to reach his magic. 

 

“I wouldn’t try. You won’t be conscious until I need you to be.” The Lizard chuckles. “And, of course, when you’ll listen.” 

 

Marco found the strength to snarl,  _ “I’ll never listen to you.” _

 

“Snarl all you want. You can’t fight nature.” The Lizard’s footsteps resounded, echoing off the walls. 

 

Marco slowly laid back down, feebly scratching at the collar to try and get it off. Soon though, the fog in his head was stronger than ever, and he found himself drifting back into sleep. 

 

In his dreams, he was drowning once more, sinking further and further into the blackened depths, with no chance of swimming back out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im never going to stop ending these on cliffhangers


	15. It's Worth Every Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw the plot suddenly expands itself past what you though it would. I'm not sure if this will actually be 20 chapters, but it won't be any more than that.

Marco coughed weakly, awakening. His mind was hazy, a muddle of fear and annoyance. He tried to remember why he was lying on this floor, but he couldn’t get past the fog in his mind. He wanted to move, but his body was heavy, too heavy to move. Bile seeped in the back of his throat. Marco swallowed it down, the pain a stronger sensation than anything else he could feel. 

 

“Are you awake?” A voice asked, and at the sound rage flooded through Marco’s veins, cutting through the fog, leaving his vision red. He leapt to his feet, snarling. He didn’t know why he was angry, or who he was angry at, but those facts seemed trivial, unimportant, not when he could maul and claw and tear and destroy-

 

Something as wrong though. Did he want that? He felt like he shouldn’t want it. The anger overtakes his doubt, the fog whispering to him. Of course he wanted it. That was why he was here. 

 

“Good. Both stone and beast are completely corrupted. We can move on to the final stage.” 

 

Marco snapped in the direction of the voice, only getting a low chuckle in return. 

 

“You're perfect.” 

* * *

Star paced back and forth, as she had been since she woke in time to the rising sun. She was moments away from charging out of the room herself if nobody showed up anytime soon. A knock sounded at the door, startling her. She growled, before remembering where she was and shifting. 

 

“Come in.” Star drawled, her mood too anxious and sour to pretend to be cheerful. The door pushed open, and Star paused as her father’s head poked around it. 

 

“Do you want to talk?” Her father said softly, looking embarrassed. “We could ‘catch up.’” 

 

“‘Catch up?’” Star repeats, tilting her head. 

 

“You know, get to know each other and stuff. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.” The sadness in his eyes made Star pause. She nodded slowly, and was taken aback by how quickly a grin broke out across his once somber face. Her father bounds in, jumping straight on the bed and beckoning her to sit beside him. 

 

“Anything you want to hear?” Her father asks. 

 

“About what?” Star returned, tilting her head. 

 

“Your childhood.” Her father stated it as if it were obvious, and her lip twitched down petulantly. 

Star couldn’t ignore the pull of her curiosity though, the longing in her chest to finally get the answers she’d been searching for. So, with a small smile, she said, “Sure.” 

 

Her father had a way of talking that drew her in and kept her there, trapped in his exaggerated sound effects and vigorous motions to accompany whatever story was being told. His booming laughter started to spark her own quieter one. Star was lost in the memories, even if they weren’t her own, of a simpler time.

 

When he mentioned her mother though, Star wondered if she would tell theses stories with quite as much enthusiasm. Star recalled the cold eyes and flat words given to her from her mother and doubted that. 

 

But her mother wasn’t here, it was only her and her father, and somehow Star managed to remain distracted until the sun was midway across the sky.

 

A bang startled Star, and she leapt onto her feet, whipping around to stare at the possible threat. Her mother stood there, with the door open and a light in her eyes. 

 

“The Magical High Commission’s here.” Her mother breathed, and Star shot towards the door. Her mother didn’t move as quickly though, and Star was forced to wait, foot tapping anxiously against the ground, for her parents to catch up and show her where to go. She walked alongside them, just barely managing to not bolt ahead on her own. 

 

When they finally reach the room where the Magical High Commission was supposedly staying, Star didn’t wait for her parents to walk in. 

 

Crashing through the doors, Star asked, “Where are Marco and the Lizard?” 

 

Star watched, almost in slow motion, as the respective jaws of the Commission members dropped. The goat man bayed in warning, hooves flailing as the gem creature’s hands hissed. There was a puff of flame as the orange lady swelled up in some sort of emotion. The space skull simply blinked, looking unsure of how to handle things. 

 

“You didn’t tell us you had her.” The flame lady snapped at her mother, and Star narrowed her eyes. 

 

“That wasn’t relevant. Star is of no danger to anyone.” Her mother said calmly, stepping in front of Star. Star’s father stood beside her mother, and Star snuck over to stand by him, by far the more comforting presence.  

 

“Yeah, but that was before Marco drained your magic.” The space skull huffed, and Star growled. 

 

“Marco wouldn’t do that.” 

 

“Well then you better suck it up ‘cause he did.” The flame lady jabbed back, and Star was mid-shift when her mother interjected. 

 

“Marco was not of his right mind when he did that. We have established this.” Moon argued. “I am fine now and we have bigger issues.” 

 

The goat man brayed again, but this time the gem creature answers for him. “Uh, he says that the fact Marco could do that is the bigger issue.” 

 

“That doesn’t matter, we have to find him.” Star, back to being fully human, cried out, throwing a hand in frustration. “Why are we arguing about something Marco wouldn’t do?” 

 

“Star. I need you to listen to me.” Her mother’s voice dropped, somehow getting more serious than it already was. “After Toffee injured you-” Her mother took in a breath to steady herself, coming to grip Star’s shoulders with white knuckles. “Marco- he took my magic to use against Toffee. The council managed to save me through the temple, but that doesn’t change the fact it happened.” 

 

“That’s not- he wouldn’t- Marco’s not-” Star looked upwards, but the way her mother’s eyes couldn’t meet her own, clouded with guilt, let Star know that this is the truth. “Why would he do that?” Star choked out, wrapping her arms around herself. 

 

“He wasn’t in his right mind.” Her mother’s voice was gentle, soothing even. “He was scared and desperate and didn’t know what he was doing. It happens to everyone.” 

 

Star didn’t answer, curling into herself. The flaming lady spoke up though. “Again, going after him is too dangerous. The council saw his magic. Corrupt, all of it. Now that Toffee has him it's only bound to get worse.”

 

Star’s eyes went wide, ash on her tongue as she remembered how strange Marco was acting recently, the way she knew he was hiding something from her but couldn’t figure out what. She was shaking before she realized it. Toffee’s assuredness, the hint of a larger scheme that clouded every action. 

 

Corruption. 

 

The word itself sent a chill down her spine, her palms dry and her senses alert. Slowly, Star pulled her dress so she can get a clear look at the stone underneath it. She hadn’t looked at it for some time, and a sense of regret was building in her for not thinking to check it sooner. She trembled harder when it came into view, the bottom quarter tinged with a green the pulsed as if it were alive. 

 

It’s only at the collection of gasps that Star recalled she wasn’t alone. She swallowed, looking at the pale faces- well, of those who had faces that could pale- that stare at her. 

 

“...Star,” Her father stepped forward, but her mother took charge drawing herself up in a mix of fear and righteous anger. 

 

“This is more reason to go after Toffee. For all we know Marco is already fully corrupted. We don’t have time to squabble about whether we should or we shouldn’t do this. We need to find a solution and the only being who has an inkling about this is that lizard.” 

 

The council looked torn, coming together to whisper things Star didn’t bother trying to overhear. Her heart was pounding in her chest, panic running through her veins. Her breaths came out short and fast, squeezing through her throat. What was Marco going through right now? Was the Lizard corrupting him? Was he in pain? 

 

More than ever, Star wanted to be able to reach out and touch Marco with her hands, to run her nose against his fur and breath in his scent. She missed him with an ache so fierce it was clawing at her even beneath the fear. 

 

Her parent’s voices broke through her haze, and she could just barely hear them. 

 

“Let me talk to her.” 

 

“Moon.” 

 

“I’m serious River.” 

 

A pause, the slow draw of a breath being taken in.

 

“I can’t trust you not to hide what happens if I let you two go alone. I- I just can’t trust any of it. What is a king if he’s completely blind?” 

 

“...River...I just-”

 

“It’s fine, just let me talk to her this time.”

 

A sigh, a hand brushed against her arm.

 

“Okay. I’ll handle the council.”

 

The hand on her arm became a gentle grip, one Star could break out of easily. 

 

“Star,” Her father rumbled. “Come over here, lets get you a comfy place to sit.” 

 

“Outside.” Star breathed out, her vision wavering. “Need to be outside.” 

 

Her father hesitated, but after deliberation he simply led her forward, saying, “Sure Star. It’s no forest, but the palace has a nice garden.” 

 

Star let her father lead her on, to preoccupied with her own maelstrom of emotions and desires to do much else. She managed to repress her instinct to shift until she felt the breeze on her skin. 

 

She didn’t listen to her father’s cry of shock, shaking her way through her transformation. Her paws touched the soft grass. Star looked up at the sky, a croon growing in her throat. There wasn’t anything for her to say, not when she couldn’t find the words, so instead she announced her feelings through a howl. The mournful tune swiftly morphs into a cry of fear mixed with longing before changing once again into a vessel for the rage and frustration. 

 

She just wanted all of this to be over. She wanted the Lizard dead and Marco back by her side and a world where there weren’t such complicated things to worry about like her family and the council. 

 

“When you were little, we would play monster hunter out here,” Her father mutters softly after Star’s cries have ceased. Star looked at him, and the dark circles under eyes take her aback, the exhaustion showing in his eyes and his body is one that was inherently unnatural, something that shouldn’t be etched onto his face like it was. Star bent down, moving her nose to press against his cheek. 

 

Her father pat her cheek without hesitation, sending a spark of warmth through her. She leaned into the contact before she realized it. As her father kept caressing her cheek, it hit Star that she hadn’t had contact with anyone since leaving the Diaz’s. 

 

“She’ll convince them to go after Marco and that Lizard, don’t you worry,” Her father hummed. “Moon is good at that, she’s good at talking and diplomacy and all of that. I’ve never been good at anything but lightening the mood and fighting- and Moon has me beat in fighting too, she can behead a dragon quicker than you can blink.” 

 

_ Are you mad at her?  _ Star asked, curling around the man. 

 

Her father sighed, giving a shrug. “I am angry with her, if that’s what you’re wondering. But it’s a different kind of anger. I’m mad at myself too. I think I’ve been a little too happy for a little too long.”

 

Star tilted her head, whining to show her confusion. Her father turned to gaze down at her, but as he meets her eyes something overcame him, and a smile overtakes his face. 

 

“This isn’t anything you should be worrying about. Things like this sort themselves out one way or the other, that’s just how life goes. Now, do you want to hear some more stories to pass the time?” 

 

Star was torn. She wanted to ask what was wrong, to get her father to speak to her. But Mr.Diaz’s words came back to her, and she held her tongue. Regardless, a large part of her is still uneasy, wanting to leave and find Marco while the humans are arguing. Another glance in her father’s direction quelled that thought. In the back of her mind, Star wondered if he needed this just as much as she wanted it. 

 

Star nodded, settling herself down completely. As her father’s eyes light up, Star decided she could just leave at night if the council didn’t agree to go after Marco tomorrow.

* * *

Moon found them in the garden, beast curled around man, both breathing evenly as one did while sleeping. When she took her first step onto the grass though, Star’s ears pricked, and her daughter swiveled her head towards her. Moon didn’t miss the growl in the back of Star’s throat, nor the way Star had curled tighter around River. Moon softened, holding up her hands in a placating manner. 

 

“I just wanted to tell you that the council agreed to go after Toffee at sunrise tomorrow.” Moon’s throat felt dry, words useless when put up against the indecipherable stare of the beast that was somehow still her daughter. 

 

Star growled harshly, seemingly surprised by the strength of it. Star blinked, echoing Moon’s confusion. As Star laid her head back down, Moon took it as a dismissal. Moon stayed though, watching her immediate family. The anxious side of her screamed that she needed to tell Star to shift back to being human, because once word got out that the royal family was hosting a monster the civilians would panic and then Moon would have another mess on her hands. 

 

Moon opened her mouth, ready to do just that, when River moved in his sleep, leaning into Star’s form. Moon took a deep breath, closing her mouth. She could intimidate the staff into silence if it came down to it- it was better to let them rest. 

 

Moon turned, walking away with River’s words ringing in her head. She scowled to herself. She didn’t think he was incompetent...at least not completely. She still came to him with problems for them to solve them together. 

 

The feeble part of her clinging to the notion that she is justified in her position, stumbles. She knew the depths of what she withheld from River. Drawing further and further away to shoulder everything on her own. Let him have his fun, he didn’t need to know, he couldn’t help her: all of those had become a daily part of her routine, thoughts that came as natural as breathing. 

 

Her stomach twisted in on itself in disgust, but there is nothing she can do now but push forward and wait for the storm to pass. Besides, River should have tried to step up and take responsibility. Where was he when Moon stayed awake countless nights, kept up by work or stress or nightmares? 

 

Moon glowered at the ground, fingernails curling into her palms. She took a deep breath, slipping herself into a more regal persona. She looked up, and flinched when Glossaryck’s blue skin and yellow robes were there to meet her gaze.

  
  


“I would have you know that pudding tastes much better than miscommunication,” he stated, sticking his nose up.

 

“What is it Glossaryck?” 

 

“You were going to summon me soon so I thought I would save us both the trouble. I want to take a bath so make it snappy.” As if to show his point, Glossaryck snaps his fingers, teleporting to the other side of Moon. 

 

“You know the wand is becoming corrupted.” 

 

“Yep,” Glossaryck turned midair, his eyes never leaving Moon’s. “That’s what happens when worms get inside it.”

 

“Worms?” Moon rounded a corner. 

 

“Little buggers. Eating away at the magic from the inside. Can’t catch them either.” Glossaryck opens his mouth, picking at his teeth. Moon looked away, blanching. 

 

“What are you talking about?” She muttered. 

 

“Wormy corruption. It’s gonna spread.” 

 

“About that. Is there any way to stop it? Maybe if we could find an escort-” Moon stopped, interrupted by Glossaryck’s low chuckle. 

 

“Oh that’s great.” Glossaryck’s laugh trickled off into a sigh. His gaze turned serious, and Moon tensed. “You can’t feel it?” 

 

“Feel what? Stop being cryptid.” Moon snapped. 

 

“Do you think she hasn’t chosen an escort yet?” 

 

Moon’s face twisted. “Of course she hasn’t, she doesn’t know the ceremony or the words she doesn’t even have the wan-” Moon stopped, Glossaryck’s raised eyebrows reminding her that Star did in fact have the wand...and a person she was extremely close to. “But the ceremony-” Moon scrambled, praying what Glossaryck was suggesting wasn’t true.

 

“A grand ceremony, one that didn’t need much other than some contact and the wand’s blessing.” Glossaryck yawned. “It’s not that hard to do.”

 

Moon stopped, breathing deeply. “That can’t be- if Marco is her escort, and he’s becoming corrupted.” 

 

“Time always runs out.” Glossaryck hummed, disappearing before Moon can say anything else. 

 

Moon was left standing in the empty hallway. Her breaths filled the silence. She forced her hands to relax, but kept the tightness in her shoulders. She ran through possibilities, trying to find something- anything, that could stop this. 

 

She leaned against the wall, holding herself upwards. There was nothing she could do. Marco had to be Star’s chosen escort- Glossaryck may fool around but he never lied. With Marco becoming corrupted, so was Star, and Star could do nothing to Marco to stop it. 

 

Moon grit her teeth, shoving away memory of complete helplessness as she stared down Toffee. She couldn’t attack him, or move to hurt him without her chest threatening to constrict her. Those feelings, a scar deeper than most, felt raw, open and bleeding at the thought that Star might have to go through the same thing. 

 

Moon stood straight. It’s been too long for her to remember Eclipsa’s forbidden chapter, but she could always look it up. The book was in her chambers, sitting innocently on a shelf. 

 

Moon squared her shoulders, stepping forward. “I swear,” she muttered. “On our ancestors graves I will stop this.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like im having too much fun imagining the ending to this


	16. He Whispered Fear Was Logical

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is really short but i felt like here was a better place to end it then i where i was planning on ending it
> 
> this chapter title doesn't come from the same song as all the others, but from Jimmy He Whispers, by the Manchester Ochestra.

Star opened her eyes, feeling liquid soak through her fur. She floundered, almost submerged as her paws struggle to keep her afloat. The liquid burned when it splashed into her mouth, but when she went to cough it out, more got in. Trapped in the turbulent waves, Star paddled furiously.

 

The sky was dark, swirls of pale clouds lurking. The liquid was a sickly green. It clung to her, making her nauseous. As she raised her head, a golden island catches her eye. Star swam towards it with frantic strokes.

 

When her paws scrabble against its smooth surface, Star was ready to collapse. The liquid grabbed at her, tugging her back even as she fought to climb. When she had all four paws on land, she collapsed, panting.

 

_“Star.”_

 

Star leapt to her feet, exhaustion forgotten and tail wagging. “ _Marco? Marco I’m here.”_

 

When nothing answered her, Star explored the island, which was completely golden. It too clung to her, but it had a gentleness, a feeling of belonging. It warmed her, returning the strength to her limbs. With a quivering voice, she whimpered, _“Marco?”_

 

_“I’m here, Star. I’m here.”_

 

Star turned, racing to the edge of the island. She peered into the murky waters around her, searching for any sort of sign. Golden flecks gather at the base of the island, glimmering. Star growled at them, their light taunting her.

 

_“Star.”_

 

Marco’s voice came from below her, and Star nearly leapt back into the liquid. She stopped when she saw a familiar pair of eyes meet her own. She leaned down, touching her nose to the edge of the liquid.

 

_“Marco, I’m coming for you. I’ll save you.”_

 

 _“I miss you. I miss you so much. It’s so cold here,”_ Marco’s voice, quivering at the edges, responded.

 

 _“How can I help you?”_ Star asked gently.

 

Marco’s eyes wavered, something dark flashing through them that wasn’t because of the liquid. When he spoke, his voice was warped, with an undertone of shadows. _“You could come down here with me. It’s not so bad. I’m lonely.”_

 

Star considered it. Her paw crept forwards until it was on the edge of the island. She wanted to trust in Marco, to ease his pain. Something in this smelled foul though, and she couldn’t make herself take that leap. The attitude was wrong, and the eyes she stared into were the eyes of a stranger.

 

 _“Star,”_ Marco snarled, the liquid bubbling. _“Come on. You’ll be safe here.”_

 

Star took a step back, shaking her head. _“I can’t Marco. I’m sorry but I can’t. I want to help you, but there’s something wrong.”_

 

 _“There’s nothing-”_ Marco started, only to pause, choking on his own words. When he continued, it with careful purpose, layered with concern and sadness. _“Star. You need to leave. Don’t look for me. You can’t look for me, there’s something wrong. I’ll end up hurting you if you come. Please, Star, stay away. I don’t want you to be hurt anymore.”_

 

_“Mar-”_

 

 _“I love you.”_ Marco’s eyes fade, leaving Star completely alone.

 

Star’s eyes snapped open, and she growled as she shot up, glaring at the world around her. She was alone in the same room she had been in the night before. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest. She scrubbed at her eyes, wiping away the traces of tears as she tried to steady herself. She curled inwards, shifting so that she could wrap her arms around her knees. She shivered, remembering the unnatural snarl that came from Marco.

 

Star screwed her eyes tight, the word ‘corruption’ ringing around in her head. It was the only thing she could think of though, with the darkness and Marco’s strange attitude. She didn’t want to think that Marco could be...corrupted.

 

Star looked up, squaring her shoulders. The dream didn’t mean that Marco was corrupted all the way. There’s a chance to save him, and Star would not let it slip away.

 

_I love you._

 

Star stood up. She just needed to find her parents and the High Commission, then they could find Marco and save him.

 

“I love you too, Marco.”

* * *

Moon yawned, the barest trickle of sunlight creeping in through the meeting chambers. River and the High Commission look about as tired as she felt, but Star was bristling with energy, almost ready to burst at the seams.

 

“We could have waited until the sun rose,” Heckapoo mutters, arms crossed. Lehkmet nodded in agreement.

 

“I mean, why not start now?” Rhombulus said, even as his hands hissed in their discontentment.

 

“We need to find Marco,” Star added, eyes dark.

 

“What difference could an hour make?” Heckapoo asked, and Moon can sense the imminent outburst from Star.

 

“It could mean everything.” Omnitraxus Prime informed them, eyes glowing in his ball. “I’ve been scanning throughout possibilities. We need to leave soon, the outcome of this battle depends on it.”

 

“Alright.” Moon stepped forward, drawing the attention to her. “Prepare for battle, but do not alert the castle to what is going on. We are going out for a training exercise, nothing else. We meet at the entrance in twenty minutes. Understood?”

 

Moon stared down the High Commission, silently daring them to go against her. Heckapoo nods first, the pettiness in her face replaced with a solemn determination. The rest of the High Commission followed slowly with their own form of agreement. Heckapoo and Omnitraxus Prime returned to their respective dimensions while Lehkmet and Rhombulus slipped through the door.

 

With the High Commision taken care of, Moon swallowed, turning to River. “The-”

 

“I’m going with you,” River cut in before Moon could finish, soft yet firm. Moon supposed he would know her thought process by now. “I can’t stay here anymore. Besides, you all need the Johansen battle spirit on your side.” River grinned, but Moon could see the sense of betrayal that shone through it. Their arguments over the past days were still fresh in her mind, but she wasn’t ready to tackle those issues here and now, so she simply hums in agreement.

 

Moon then turned to Star, who paced by the door. Moon walked up beside her, suggesting, “Why don’t you come with me to get armor?”

 

“Armor?” Star questioned.

 

Moon couldn’t stop the image that trickled into her thoughts, of Star as a toddler, jumping around and begging to try on every piece of armor she could find. Moon had to steel herself against the wave of regret and loss that surged with the memory. She couldn’t focus on her failures now, not when there was a battle on the horizon.

 

“It’s something that mewmans use to protect themselves. It’s made out of metal so that attacks don’t injure us as much,” Moon explained, keeping her tone measured.

 

Star tilted her head. “I don’t need armor.”

 

“Everyone needs armor,” River smiled, laying a hand on her shoulder. “It makes you look intimidating, powerful. You’re enemies won’t be able to touch you.”

 

“They won’t be able to once I shift.” Star pointed out, and Moon sighed.

 

“That may be true, but…” Moon paused, feeling unsteady. It was a rare feeling these days, but she despised it all the same. “Would you come with me anyways?”

 

If Moon despised uncertainty more than most emotions, she loathes the shock on River’s face more than anything. Was she really so cold?

 

Star was looking at her with a look Moon couldn’t decipher, and Moon was a hair’s breadth away from taking it back when Star spoke up.

 

“Okay.”

 

Moon gave a smile, ushering Star to the door. “I am sure that you’ll enjoy this,” Moon stated, and kept her smile as Star’s eyes flashed with interest. As Moon passed River, their eyes met. River tilted his head downwards, and Moon deftly turned her eyes back to Star’s form, unwilling to glimpse at whatever emotion River was trying to convey.

 

It didn’t take long for them to reach the armory. Moon tried her hardest to match the relentless pace that Star set. Her daughter constantly went ahead, only to wait for Moon to catch up. The energy crackling around Star set Moon on edge too, if only because the air around them remained charged.

 

Star’s eyes went wide when Moon opened the door to reveal countless swords, shields, and armor sets resting on the walls. Something in Moon’s chest warmed at the sight, and she is yet again reacquainted with nostalgia.

 

The armory was a long hallway, and Moon took the liberty to speak as they walked down. “This is where every piece of armor in the castle is stored. All of them are certified monster proof but still light as can be.”

 

“Monster proof?” Star’s face scrunched in distaste.

 

“We have to be prepared for monsters. They’re nasty brutes,” Moon clenched her fists, Toffee’s smirk coming to mind.

 

Star hummed. “So, like me and Marco.”

 

“No- Of course you aren’t a monster dear.” Moon turned to face Star, only finding Star’s beastial form staring at her. Star tilts her wolfish head, as if saying, ‘See?’

 

“That doesn’t make you one of them,” Moon argued weakly, seeing the holes in her defense before Star shifts back.

 

“What is the difference between us and them?”

 

“It’s- It’s-” Moon sighed, walking forwards again.

 

“What?” Star’s tone was accusatory, searching for answers Moon didn’t have- or rather, didn’t want to think about.

 

“It’s complicated.” Moon decided. She could sense Star’s dissatisfaction with the answer, but her daughter didn’t ask so Moon didn’t say anything else.

 

They reach the end of the hallway, where the intricately carved doors rested. Moon moved her hands in swift motions to her sides, and watched the doors glow bright blue before sliding open.

 

“I can’t believe you can use Magic without a stone,” Star mumbled, awestruck.

 

“It takes years of training,” Moon told her with a smile. Once the doors were open fully, Moon stepped forward to grab her armor and slide it on with practiced ease. She undid her hair, sighing with relief as the monstrous bun came falling down. She felt so much freer with her hair in a simple ponytail and her swords at her side.

 

However, Star stared at her with a lost expression, eyebrows drawn together.

 

“What’s wrong?” Moon prompted, and Star shook herself, as if snapping out of a daydream.

 

“Nothing,” Star said hastily. When Moon raised her eyebrows, Star continued. “I was just...remembering. Do you remember when we met? The first time, in the forest.”

 

“Of course I do.” How could Moon ever forget it?

 

“You looked like this back then.” Star shrugged. “It just reminded me.”

 

The silence grew heavy, and Moon searched for something to say. River was always so much better with words than she was. Moon simply couldn’t navigate the endless maze that was emotion.

 

“We should go back,” Moon said dumbly. Star nodded in silent agreement, and Moon berated herself as they began to walk back. Star’s form, right ahead of her, seemed so distant. Star and River had looked so at peace yesterday, relaxed, comfortable.

 

“Star,” Moon called. “Do you know any spells?”

 

Star paused to shake her head. Moon didn’t stop to wonder how she should tackle the issue of escorts and dark magic and past mistakes, finding the nearest wall and sitting against it, patting the ground beside her. “I think we need to talk about a few things. Just for a few minutes.”

 

Star was hesitant, but something in Moon’s expression must have convinced her to go along with it, because she sits down, waiting for Moon to continue.

 

So Moon did.

Star’s heart was pounding in her chest, her blood rushing through her veins. She could only focus on the ground ahead of her, her vision black around the edges. Her mind moved like honey. Her thoughts trickled through her mind, trying to process the information just dumped on her.

 

Escorts. They were a thing. A being chosen by wand bearers to be their companion, protector, and failsafe. She had chosen Marco as an escort at some point- that fact didn’t shock her as much. There was no one else that Star was close to like Marco. But Star couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that she couldn’t physically hurt Marco. Maybe because the thought of purposely hurting Marco never crossed her mind, or that having her actions controlled by some other force terrified her.

 

Even beyond that, her mother’s mention of dark magic, spoken with hushed words and a guilty inflection, sent a chill down Star’s spine. Breaking the escort bond, breaking some of what she and Marco shared?

 

Star gritted her teeth, keeping her head low even as other voices surround her. Her father came close, and Star wanted to lean into the support he was clearly offering, but her mother’s warning to keep quiet about everything- the escorts, the magic the possible sacrifice- made her stay away.

 

“Okay, once we are in the area we need to move slow. Marco may already be compromised,” Her mother spoke, the voice a distant murmur to Star’s ears, in her commanding tone, as if she hadn’t told Star the unthinkable. “Prepare for the worse, don’t let your guard down, and don’t wait to make conversation. We go in, we get Marco and take down Toffee, then we go out.”

 

“Got it.” Heckapoo waved a hand.

 

“Already searching for them.” Omnitraxus Prime muttered, his head floating serenely.

 

“We’re gonna destroy them,” Rhombulus declared, and for once his hands nodded in agreement. Lekhmet bleated, and Rhombulus added on, “And we’re gonna all make it back.”

 

Her father gave a battle cry, shaking his shield and axe with vigor.

 

Star looked at her trembling hands, forcing them to become paws. She took a deep breath, her fur raised up high to reflect her fear, and her anger. The lizard must have known about this, about escorts. He was using that to hurt her, and it was working. She could still hear the unnatural tone of Marco’s growl, feel the green liquid clinging to her.

 

Even more so, she could see the softness in Marco’s eyes when he told her he loved her, as if it would be the last time he ever said it.

 

Determination surged through her. Forget escorts, forget dark magic, she would get Marco back before anything happened. There was still time- there had to be time.

 

Star looked up, seeing her mother staring ahead, eyes hardened like stone. Her mother’s mouth was drawn in a harsh line as she muttered, “This ends today.”


End file.
